Duet of singing siamangs is back at Woodland Park Zoo

Siamang pair graces the neighborhood with their first song

SEATTLE, 2015-10-16 — /Travel PR News/ — The sweet duet of singing siamangs is back at Woodland Park Zoo after nearly a year of silence from the tree tops.

The pair of siamangs, 29-year-old male Sam and 35-year-old female Briony (brye-o-nee), were introduced to each other a couple of months ago. The ear-splitting hoots and hollers signify they have formed a bond and the zoo captured a few notes from their first duet outdoors. Check out the video https://youtu.be/KC3rG-WM2hQ and blog http://bit.ly/siamangsong.

Sam moved from Los Angeles Zoo to Woodland Park Zoo to pair up with Briony after her elderly companion, Simon, passed away last year. Visitors can see, and hear, Sam and Briony in the award-winning Trail of Vines exhibit.

Siamangs are the largest among the gibbon species (lesser ape). Often referred to as “singing” apes, their singing can be heard for up to 3 miles. Of all the gibbon species, siamangs form the closest social ties within the family unit. Singing communicates location between different family groups, establishes and maintains feeding area boundaries and is also for defensive posturing. It is believed that singing also helps form, maintain and further develop bonds between a mated pair.

Before Sam came along, Simon and Briony used to draw large crowds to their exhibit a few times a day as they belted out their loud duet, which could last for about 15 minutes and were often heard from as far away as a mile throughout the Phinney neighborhood. “Hearing Sam and Briony’s duet is music to our ears,” said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “Thanks to the dedication of our zookeepers who helped Sam adjust to his new surroundings and patiently followed the cues of the animals during the series of introductions, Sam and Briony have become very comfortable with each other. They’re playing, resting, engaging in grooming sessions and, of course, singing. This is the ultimate sign of a bond that can only grow stronger.”

Siamangs are native to the island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. They are endangered due to overpopulation, logging, agriculture, and other human activities that are rapidly destroying forest environments required by siamangs and other gibbon species for their survival.

In this Year of the Gibbon, as declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, our work continues in the field where conservation scientists supported by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Ape Taxon Advisory Group—a Woodland Park Zoo Wildlife Survival Fund project—are empowering local communities to become stewards of gibbon conservation.

Visit www.zoo.org or call 206.548.2500 for information about Woodland Park Zoo.

SOURCE:  Woodland Park Zoo

Media contact:
Gigi Allianic, Alissa Wolken 206.548.2550 | woodlandparkzoopr@zoo.org

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