Orangutan sex

On my first day observing the primates, I wandered over to the orangutan area just in time for a special event. The alpha male, Bimbo, was actually interacting. Bimbo looks like a 400 pound muppet and generally he just sits around eating lazily. But he is the master of this little arena. Orang males do not tolerate other males, so in this area it is Bimbo and about 5 females - lucky guy.

And it is good to be king. The ladies willingly have sex with him whenever he wants. This day I watched Bimbo groom one of the females - her back was to him and she was holding an infant. Bimbo pawed at the infants hands a bit and patted the female. The female then got up and started to walk away slowly down off the rocks to a flat grassy area. She kept looking back, not running away - this may have been solicitous. Bimbo followed her, not chasing, but staying close. She laid down on her back, pushed the infant away to another female sitting next to her, and spread her legs. Bimbo moved into position. He was sitting up, legs bent with feet on either side of her, resting back on his hands and thrusting with his hips. He changed positions frequently, shifting to the left and then right, then center, pausing every minute or so for about 10 seconds and then continuing. The female just laid there without protest. At one point she covered her eyes with one hand and kept it there for about 10 minutes. The whole episode lasted about 15 minutes and ended without evidence of a climatic event. Bimbo just got up and walked away as did the female, and went back to their normal routine.

(Throughout the love-making, zoo visitors would walk by and take a moment to realize what was happening. Then laugh awkwardly, particularly parents with their children.)

Now, not all orangutan love is so peaceful. There are two types of males - the large alphas like Bimbo and smaller dudes that are adults who remain the size of juveniles. The ladies don't like the small guys, so they take what they can't get. Basically, they rape the women when the alpha males isn't around. Apparently, this can be very violent. No wonder the zoo does not have any of the small males in residence.