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Although orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is one of Malaysian iconic species, however when compared to other great apes this species is not well studied. Several good articles regarding this species in captivity are relatively limited. Due to this reason, a behavioral study of this orangutan (P. pygmaeus) was conducted at Orang Utan Island, Bukit Merah, Perak. The main objectives of this study were to understand the ethology of orangutan in a semi-wild condition and the space utilization of the orangutans that would help in giving picture of the animal’s arboreal and terrestrial nature. Preliminary observations were carried out for five days in January 2016 and intensive observations was carried out for a month in February 2016. The observation method used was focal sampling with continuous reading. The observations were done by focusing on one individual subject for every one hour from 09:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m. and from 14:00 p.m. to 17:00 p.m. The behavioral profile of the orangutans in semi-wild environment showed that resting, feeding, and playing are the three major daily activities of the orangutans on the island. In accordance with the purpose of this study, the result of the behavioral activities of orangutan can be used for the management and well-being of the orangutan in the study site. It is much hoped with the provided information this will help to increase our understanding of orangutans’ behavior in a semi-wild condition.

Abdul-Manan MN, Mohd-Ridwan AR, Aifat NR, Osman NA, Abdul-Latiff MA, Dharmalingam S, Md-Zain BM. 2020. Short Communication: Effectiveness of nuclear gene in species and subspecies determination of captive orangutans. Biodiversitas 21: 3665-3669. Genetic identification of captive orangutans is of paramount importance in providing a correct identity that is essential for captive management. Thus, the utility of nuclear DNA sequences was tested in this study to identify the genetic identity of captive orangutans at Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island. Out of 24 DNA samples that were successfully extracted, only 10 orangutan samples were successfully sequenced for the von Willebrand factor (vWF) gene. From the results, this gene was able to separate the genus Pongo at the species level. Distance and character analyses indicated that a clear separation between P. pygmaeus and P. abelii at the species level. However, the degree of separation at species level was indicated in tree topology with moderate bootstrap values. At the subspecies level of P. pygmaeus, this gene was unable to show a clear separation between three Bornean subspecies. All the subspecies were formed clade together with each other. The vMF gene is a good nuclear gene for the study of phylogenetic relationships of orangutans in captivity at the species level, but the genetic identification at subspecies level in the genus level remains unclear. We suggest that future studies should involve multiple independent nuclear markers to increase the probability of getting reliable results.