Orangutan To Stay At Honolulu Zoo
Foundation Unsuccessful At Moving Rusti To Other Locations
POSTED: 4:26 pm HST February 13, 2004
UPDATED: 4:41 pm HST February 13, 2004
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HONOLULU -- Rusti the orangutan will be staying at the Honolulu Zoo after seven years of failed attempts to move him elsewhere.
He's been at the zoo since 1997 when the nonprofit group Orangutan Foundation asked the city to temporarily house him there while it built new quarters for him on the Big Island.The foundation spent $150,000 on unsuccessful efforts to move him to Hilo, Kualoa and Florida.Mayor Jeremy Harris and the head of the foundation announced Friday the orangutan will remain at the zoo."We are absolutely delighted that Rusti will be able to spend the rest of his life in a banyan tree, here at the Honolulu Zoo," Orangutan Foundation President Birute Galdikas said.The foundation will spend about $200,000 to build an enclosure around a tree at the zoo.The group will pay for Rusti's food and a caretaker, while the zoo will cover veterinary costs.
He's been at the zoo since 1997 when the nonprofit group Orangutan Foundation asked the city to temporarily house him there while it built new quarters for him on the Big Island.The foundation spent $150,000 on unsuccessful efforts to move him to Hilo, Kualoa and Florida.Mayor Jeremy Harris and the head of the foundation announced Friday the orangutan will remain at the zoo."We are absolutely delighted that Rusti will be able to spend the rest of his life in a banyan tree, here at the Honolulu Zoo," Orangutan Foundation President Birute Galdikas said.The foundation will spend about $200,000 to build an enclosure around a tree at the zoo.The group will pay for Rusti's food and a caretaker, while the zoo will cover veterinary costs.
Previous Stories:
- July 18, 2003: City Says No To Moving Orangutan Rusti
- May 28, 2003: Attorney General Investigates Orangutan Foundation
- April 23, 2003: Permits Tie Up Orangutan's Move To Kualoa Ranch
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