Zoo Offers Discounted Admission to College Football Fans

On Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 9:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Zoo's male orangutan, Bruno, will make his pick for the winner of college football's BCS National Championship.

Animal keepers will place two fruit-filled papier-mache figures, decorated as the mascots for University of Texas and the University of Alabama, in the orangutan habitat.  The L.A. Zoo's 30-year-old orangutan, Bruno, will then announce his favorite to win the 2010 National Championship by digging into the delicious mascots -- the one he chooses first is his pick to win the game. 

Native to the Indonesia islands of Borneo and Sumatra, orangutans are the sole surviving great ape species in Asia.  Orangutans are endangered.  In the last 60 years, it's estimated that there has been more than a 50 percent decline in the orangutan population.  This decline is primarily due to loss of their forest habitat agriculture and fires.  The L.A. Zoo is home to six orangutans.  Orangutans are considered to be one of the most intelligent zoo animals. 

In the Malay language orang means person and utan means forest.  Decked out in long, shaggy, orange-red hair, orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammals.  The males are about twice the size of females, and have an arm span of over seven feet.  Males have large throat pouches under their chins that are used to make calls to attract females and warn rival males to keep away.  Dominate males have large cheek pads, while subordinate males in the same area don't develop cheek pads until they find their own territory. 

From Wednesday, Jan. 6 through Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010, the L.A. Zoo is offering discounted admission to college football fans.  Fans wearing their favorite college football team's gear (e.g. hats, shirts, sweatshirts) just need to mention the promotion to receive a dollar off the price of Zoo admission. 

Click here to learn more about orangutans.