How smart are orangutans? - Lu Gao

Zein inteligenteak dira orangutanak? -Lu Gao

Translator: Jone Aliri Lazcano Reviewer: Ainize Sarrionandia

Fu Manchu was one of the most notorious escape artists

Fu Manchu eskapismoaren artista ezagunenetakoa izan zen

at the Omaha Zoo in the 1960s.

Omahako zooan 1960.hamarkadan.

But he wasn't a performer,

Baina ez zen artista bat,

he was an orangutan.

orangutan bat zen.

The keepers who locked his enclosure every night

Bera gauero giltzaperatu behar zutenak

were baffled to find him outside the next day

txundituta geratzen ziren biharamunean kanpoan ikustean

hanging out with friends in a tree,

zuhaitzetan lagunekin,

or sunning on the roof.

teilatuan eguzkia hartzen.

Only after installing cameras did they realize

Kamerak ipini ostean soilik ohartu ziren

Fu Manchu had been picking the lock

Fu Manchuk atea, masail azpian gordetzen zuen

with a metal wire that he kept hidden under his cheek pouch.

metalezko alanbre batekin irekitzen zuela.

The keepers shouldn't have been surprised at Fu Manchu's cunningness.

Zaintzaileak ez ziren Fu Manchuren azkartasunaz harritu behar.

Along with our other great ape cousins,

Gure beste lehengusu tximino handiak bezela,

the gorillas,

gorilak,

chimps,

txinpantzeak

and bonobos,

eta bonoboak,

they belong to our Hominidae family tree,

gure zuhaitz genealogikoaren, Hominidae, parte dira

which stretches back 14 million years.

duela 14 milioi urtetatik.

But it's not just their striking red hair

Baina ez da euren ile gorri deigarria

that makes orangutans unique among our cousins.

gure lehengusuen artean bereziak egiten dituena.

As the only great apes from Asia,

Asiako simio handi bakarrak izanik,

orangutans have adapted to a life high in the rain forest canopies.

orangutanak basoetako goi adaburuetan bizitzera egokitu ziren.

Many of the skills they learn are transmitted through the special bond

Dituzten gaitasunetako asko amekin duten

they have with their mothers,

lotura bereziaren bidez lortzen dituzte,

the most extended in the animal kingdom next to humans.

animalien erreinuan, gizakien ostean, hedatuena.

Orangutan mothers usually give birth to one baby at a time,

Orangutanen amek normalean umeak banaka edukitzen dituzte,

waiting up to eight years before having another.

eta zortzi urte arte itxaroten dute beste bat izateko.

This gives the young,

Horrek, umeari,

who begin as fully dependent infants,

erabateko mendekotasunarekin hasten denari,

plenty of time to learn how to climb

denbora ematen dio gauzak ikasteko, hala nola, zuhaitz eta landareetara igotzen,

and distinguish the hundreds of plants and fruits that make up their diet.

ehundaka landareen ezberdintasunak, eta elikaduraren oinarrizko fruituak ezagutzen ikasteko.

Female orangutans even stay with their mothers into their teen years

Orangutan emeak amarekin geratzen dira 10 urte arte,

to learn child-rearing.

umeak hazten ikasteko.

As they grow up, orangutans also develop a complex set of cooperative social skills

Hazi ahala, gaitasun sozial kooperatibo konplexuak ere garatzen dituzte

by interacting with their peers and siblings.

anai arreba eta kideekin elkarrekintzan.

Much like ourselves,

Guk geuk bezala,

young orangutans involuntarily mimic the facial expressions

orangutan gazteek, oharkabean, jolas-kideen

and emotions of their playmates,

emozioak eta aurpegiko adierazpenak imitatzen dituzte,

with behaviors that closely parallel human smiling and laughter.

gizakion irrifarra eta barrea bezalako jokabideekin.

Once they finally venture out on their own,

Behin beraien kabuz ibiltzera ausartzean,

orangutans continue to develop their resourcefulness,

orangutanek euren asmamena garatzen jarraitzen dute,

putting the skills they've learned into practice.

ikasitako gaitasunak praktikan jarriz.

Adults build a new nest each night by carefully weaving twigs together,

Helduek habi berri bat eraikitzen dute gauero, adartxoak kontu handiz elkartuz,

topping them with soft leaves, pillows, and blankets.

hosto malguekin, burkoekin eta tapakiekin babestuz.

This process requires dexterity, coordination, and an eye for design.

Prozesu honek trebezia, koordinazioa eta diseinurako gaitasun bat eskatzen du.

Orangutans also use a variety of tools to make their lives in the jungle easier.

Orangutanek ohianeko euren bizitza errazteko hainbat tresna ere badituzte,

They turn branches into fly swatters and back scratchers,

adarrak "euli-hilgarri" eta "bizkar-hazkari" bihurtzen dituzte,

construct umbrellas when it rains,

aterkiak egiten dituzte euria egitean,

make gloves from leafy pads,

eskularruak hosto askorekin, eta,

and even use leaves as bandages to dress their wounds.

zauriak estaltzeko hostoak ere erabiltzen dituzte.

But orangutan intelligence goes far beyond jungle survival.

Baina orangutanaren inteligentzia, oihaneko biziraupenetik haratago doa.

Research in controlled environments has shown that orangutans are self-aware,

Testuinguru kontrolatuetako ikerketek orangutanak euren buruaz konsziente direla erakutsi dute,

being one of the few species to recognize their own reflections.

euren isla ezagutzen duten espezie gutxitako bat izanik.

They also display remarkable foresight, planning, and cognition.

Aurreikuspen, plangintza eta kognizio azpimarragarria ere erakusten dute.

In one experiment, researchers taught an orangutan to use a straw

Esperimentu batean ikertzaileek orangutanari lastotxoa erabiltzen irakatsi zioten

to extract his favorite fruit soup from a box.

poto batetik bere zuku gustokoena ateratzeko.

That orangutan was later given the choice between the straw

Orangutan horri gero aukera eman zitzaion, lastotxoa

or a grape that could be eaten right away,

edo orduantxe jan zezakeen mahats bat hartzeko,

and he chose the straw just in case he was given another box of soup.

eta lastotxoa hartu zuen, beste zuku pote bat ematen bazioten ere.

In another experiment, orangutans figured out how to reach peanuts

Beste ikerketa batean, orangutanek hodi batzuen beheko zatian zeuden

at the bottom of long tubes by spitting water into them.

kakahueteak nola lortu asmatu zuten, hodietara txistua botaz.

While orangutans are able to pass cognitive tests with flying colors,

Orangutanek test kognitiboak bikain gainditu ditzaketen arren,

there are certain problems that they need our help to solve.

arazo batzuk ebazteko gure laguntza behar dute.

Indonesia has the world's highest rate of deforestation,

Indonesiak munduko deforestazio abiadura altuena du,

and millions of acres of rain forest are burned annually

eta urtero milioika oihan tropikal hektarea erretzen dira

to support the logging and palm oil industries.

palma olioaren eta egurraren industriak garatzeko.

Deforestation exposes the 30,000 orangutans remaining in the wild

Deforestazioak oraindik basatiak diren 30.000 orangutan

isileko ehiztarien esku jartzen ditu.

to poachers.

They kill mothers so that baby orangutans can be sold as exotic pets.

Amak hiltzen dituzte, orangutan umeak animalia exotiko moduan saltzeko.

But fortunately, the story often doesn't end here.

Baina zorionez, ipuina askotan ez da hor amaitzen.

Orphans can be confiscated and given a second chance.

Umezurtzak konfiskatuak izan daitezke, eta bigarren aukera bat izan.

At special forest schools, they recover from emotional trauma

Oihan eskola berezietan, trauma emozionaletik osatzen dira

and continue to develop essential life skills.

eta bizitzarako oinarrizkoak diren gaitasunak garatzen jarraitzen dute.

Against all odds, these orphans demonstrate incredible resilience

Probabilitate guztien aurka, umezurtz hauek izugarrizko erresilientzia

and readiness to learn.

eta ikasteko gaitasuna erakusten dute.

In Malay, the word orangutan translates literally to "the person of the forest,"

Malaysieran, orangutan hitzak literalki "oihaneko pertsona" esan nahi du,

a reminder of our common lineage.

gure leinu komunaren oroigarri.

And despite orangutans being some of the smartest animals on Earth,

Eta orangutanak Lurreko animalia adimentsuenetako batzuk izan arren,

outsmarting their extinction requires the creativity, empathy, and foresight

euren desagertzea ekiditeko inteligentziak, gure espezieek partekatzen duten

sormena, enpatia eta aurreikuspena behar ditu.

that our species share.