Singapore’s Own Man-of-the-Forest has died…..
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The Orangutan, is also known as the man-like ape, or the Forest man.
While API believes that an a specie of the Orangutan may accounts for some of the sightings of Bigfoot in Malaysia, here in Singapore, our very own beloved Orangutan has died today, aged approximately 50 years old.
Ah Meng has also held a place in my heart, because I grew up knowing and hearing about her.
May God bless her…
Ah Meng will be reposed at the Zoo’s Garden with a View from 9-11am on Feb 10 where the public can visit her for the last time. — ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERANSTI Home > Latest News > Singapore
Feb 8, 2008
S’pore’s favourite Orang Utan, Ah Meng dies
She was the Singapore Zoo’s brightest star, loved by all.
Singapore’s favourite Orang Utan, Ah Meng (above) has passed away on Friday due to old age. A memorial service will be held this Sunday morning at the Zoo’s Garden with a View. — PHOTO: SINGAPORE ZOOSHE was a great-looking Singapore girl who rubbed shoulders with royalty, movie stars and statesmen.
People paid to sip tea with her, and countless others liked nothing better than to be photographed next to her.
So when Ah Meng the orang utan died yesterday, aged 48, it marked the end of an era at the Singapore Zoo.
Saddened by the news, former zoo chief Bernard Harrison remembered: ‘She had the character to be a mega-star, the personality to pull that off and became a legend.’
Ah Meng was a household name and remained the zoo’s star attraction, even as age slowed her down. In human terms, she was nearly 95, and is believed to have died of old age.
Born in Sumatra, Indonesia, she arrived at the zoo in 1971 after being removed from a family who kept her as an illegal pet.
Stardom came in 1982 with the zoo’s ‘Breakfast with An Orang Utan’ programme, which featured Ah Meng at centre stage.
Within four years, she featured in almost 30 travel films and more than 270 write-ups worldwide.
Among those who dropped in on her were Britain’s Prince Philip, pop superstar Michael Jackson and actress Elizabeth Taylor.
Such was her pulling power that the then Singapore Tourism Promotion Board made her a Special Tourism Ambassador in 1992, the first non-human recipient of the award.
The zoo’s former head of public relations, Mr Robin Goh, said part of Ah Meng’s charm was how she took to people.
‘She came from a domesticated background as a pet and behaved differently from wild orang utans. She could drink tea from a teacup and looked good for an ape,’ he said.
Ah Meng is survived by four children and six grandchildren.
A memorial will be held at 11am on Sunday at the zoo, and the public will be able to view Ah Meng’s body from 9am.
Reacting to the news, President SR Nathan said at yesterday’s Istana open house that Ah Meng had long been a symbol of the Singapore Zoo.
‘A lot of people, both local and foreigners, have enjoyed her company,’ he said. ‘I’m sure the patrons of the zoo will miss her. But that’s life.’
A LEGEND, NO LESS
‘She had the character to be a mega-star, the personality to pull that off and became a legend.’ – FORMER ZOO CHIEF BERNARD HARRISON, on hearing about Ah Meng’s death
Ah Meng, surrounded by her grandchildren, autographed her book. — ST FILE PHOTO: DENISE TAN 
Ah Meng kisses her minder Sam Alagappasamy. — ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Ah Meng unveils her birthday ‘cake’, a large platter of her favourite fruits at her 46th birthday celebration. — PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
Ah Meng on her 44th birthday. — ST PHOTO: TAN SUAN ANN STI Home > Singapore > Story
Feb 9, 2008
The life and times of the zoo’s most famous resident
Since 1971, Ah Meng had charmed visitors to the zoo, hobnobbed with celebrities and even received a special tourism ambassador award
➡ 1971: The zoo’s most famous resident, Ah Meng the orang utan, is taken from a couple who were keeping her as a pet in their kampung house.
➡ April 1975: Ah Meng gives birth to a male named Hsing Hsing, her first offspring.
➡ August 1978: Zoo visitor throws a sharp metal or wooden object at Ah Meng, leaving a gash on her cheek.
➡ July 1980: She gives birth to Medan, a female offspring.
➡ March 1982: During the shooting of a promotional video, Ah Meng spends two nights up a tree (left) at MacRitchie Reservoir. She refuses to come down after the shoot is over and instead climbs higher. On her way down, she slips and falls seven storeys, breaking her right arm.
➡ 1982: The zoo introduces the Breakfast With An Orang Utan programme, with Ah Meng as its star.
➡ February 1983: Hong Bao, another female offspring, is born.
➡ October 1985: Ah Meng is mobbed by a crowd of 400 during her 21st birthday party.
➡ August 1989: During her second month of pregnancy, zoo keepers notice her bleeding. She is given an ultrasound by specialists from Thomson Medical Centre and National University Hospital, but has a miscarriage.
➡ April 1989: Pusung, an 11-year-old Sumatran orang utan from Perth, arrives as a mate for Ah Meng.
➡ November 1989: Ah Meng dines with Tanya Evans from Melbourne, Australia. The dying 11-year-old had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
➡ July 1990: She gives birth to a fourth offspring, Sayang, a female.
➡ September 1991: Ah Meng becomes a grandmother when her second-born, 10-year-old Medan, gives birth to son Kamal.
➡ September 1992: Ah Meng, jealous that her keeper is paying attention to a research student, attacks the visitor. The student, a Frenchwoman, is at the zoo to study orang utan behaviour.
➡ March 1992: Ah Meng receives a Special Tourism Ambassador award from the then-Singapore Tourist Promotion Board at the Westin Stamford. It was a one-time award specially created for her. She receives a certificate and a stack of bananas.
➡ September 1993: Ah Meng is among six orang utan having a romp with Michael Jackson at the Raffles Hotel pool.
➡ December 1996: Satria, her fifth offspring is born
➡ July 2005: Ah Meng is mated with 28-year-old Charlie
STI Home > Singapore > Story
Feb 9, 2008
Goodbye, Ah Meng
By Radha Basu
‘I knew her for more than 36 years. That’s longer than I’ve known my wife.’ — TRAINER ALAGAPPASAMY CHELLAIYAH, 57, who has known Ah Meng since the day she arrived at the Singapore ZooTO MOST Singaporeans, Ah Meng was the friendly, lovable orang utan who became a tourism icon and the face of the Singapore Zoo the world over.
But to the man who tended to her, played with her and looked after her every need for nearly four decades, she had grown to be as precious as family.Yesterday, hours after her surprise death, trainer Alagappasamy Chellaiyah was still walking slowly with his head bowed, lost in thought.
Inside the zoo office, he sat down with The Straits Times, quickly rubbed his tired, red eyes and said: ‘I knew her for more than 36 years.
‘That’s longer than I’ve known my wife.’
Now a curator of the zoo, the 57-year-old father of three grown-up children has known Ah Meng since the day she arrived at the Singapore Zoo as an 11-year-old, having been rescued from a Chinese family who had illegally kept her as a pet.
Though she had been growing old – she was estimated to have been around 48 years old, the human equivalent of nearly 95 – Ah Meng was in relatively good health.
A detailed medical examination – including blood and urine tests – a couple of months ago had given her the all-clear, though she moved slowly and suffered from occasional bouts of constipation.
So, despite her age, the end was somewhat unexpected.
‘She went for her customary walk yesterday. This morning, she had her usual breakfast of grapes, watermelons and oranges,’ said Mr Alagappasamy, who prefers to be known as Mr Samy.
But a mere half-hour later, she threw up, prompting Mr Samy to call for the vet.
While waiting for the vet, Ah Meng was on her feet, holding on to a wire mesh. Suddenly, Mr Samy noticed that although her eyes were open, she was motionless.
‘I knew this was not normal, I knew this was bad,’ said Mr Samy. It was 11.20am. The vet arrived soon after to confirm the worst.
Together with his colleagues, Mr Samy said he will miss Ah Meng’s ‘friendliness’ the most – that and the loving way in which she tended to her young.
‘She was so human, such a loving mother.
‘Even when she grew old, she was always playing with the young ones.’
It was some of these qualities, together with the numerous publicity campaigns she fronted, that made her special, said deputy head keeper Jackson Raj. The 34-year-old has also been tending to Ah Meng in recent years.
‘She liked eating grapes and dragonfruit,’ said Mr Raj. ‘But durians were her favourite.’
While the staff at the orang utan exhibit were subdued, news of Ah Meng’s death had yet to reach the hordes of holidaymakers thronging the zoo yesterday afternoon and staff elsewhere on the sprawling grounds.
Most greeted the news with surprise and sadness.
‘Are you sure the news is true?’ asked engineer Eric Tay, 34, who had visited the orang utan exhibit with his daughters earlier in the day.
‘There were several orang utan there, and I saw an elderly one lying down whom I thought was Ah Meng,’ he said.
Like Mr Tay, accountant Seaway Theng, 32, had also visited the orang utan exhibit yesterday afternoon and not noticed anything amiss.
Now a Singapore permanent resident, Mr Theng grew up in Johor, where he had heard of Ah Meng’s friendly antics and seen television footage of her.
When he first visited Singapore as a schoolboy in 1989, he made sure he went to the zoo and had a photograph taken with her.
‘She was so famous that we just had to get the picture,’ said Mr Theng, who was visiting the zoo yesterday with his wife and seven-month-old son.
Her death – like her life – will leave a mark on many who grew up in the 80s and 90s.
Said Mr Theng: ‘It’s sad, but she was old, so I can’t say I am surprised.’
Her life and times
Have some memory, anecdote or a picture you had taken with Ah Meng that you would like to share? Call Straits Times on 6319-5276 from 8am.
Sad…the last time i saw her was lying down under a swing on 27th Jan 2008…
STI Home > News > Story
Feb 10, 2008
Memorial service today for a S’pore icon
The public can pay their tribute from 9am to 10.45am, and visit a mini display on Ah Meng’s life
By Nur Dianah Suhaimi
THEY knew. Mum had died.
Ah Meng, the Singapore icon, left behind five children and six grandchildren when she died last Friday morning after eating her breakfast of fruits.
One sniff was all it took for the brood of younger orang utans at the zoo to know that the 48-year-old matriarch – 95 in human years – had left them.
Minutes after she died, the keepers gathered her brood around her so they could pay their last respects.
Ah Meng’s youngest son, Satria, 12, had his head to the ground. He ‘looked very depressed’, deputy head keeper Jackson Raj said yesterday.
The others also lost their appetite after her death, rejecting their meals – which is rare for orang
Even yesterday, the young ones were still not their usual selves. They were less frisky, said Mr Raj.
When The Sunday Times visited the Singapore Zoo yesterday, 11-year-old Chomel, said to be Ah Meng’s favourite granddaughter, was sitting on a tree branch and staring into space.
The usually responsive Chomel, who bears a striking resemblance to her famous grandmother, ignored the keepers’ calls.
Mr Biswajit Guha, the zoo’s assistant director of zoology, said certain species, like elephants and great apes, do get emotionally affected by a death in the family.
‘It is highly likely that such an intelligent species like the orang utan experiences grief,’ he said.
According to Ah Meng’s minder of 36 years, Mr Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, she was on her feet and holding on to a wire mesh when she suddenly went motionless.
Ah Meng will be buried during a special memorial service at the zoo today. The public may pay their tribute to her today from 9am to 10.45am at the zoo’s Garden With A View.
There will also be a mini display showcasing Ah Meng’s family history, awards and photographs during the last 37 years.
Her death has saddened her many fans and was much talked about by visitors to the zoo in Mandai yesterday.
Security officer Rajendra Kumar, 44, rushed down to the zoo yesterday, specially to pay his last respects to Ah Meng.
Two years ago, he had his picture taken with her.
‘She was very sweet. She gave me a hug and when the picture was taken, she put her arm around my shoulder,’ he said.
Disappointed that he could not get a glimpse of his ‘favourite girl’, Mr Kumar will be returning to the zoo today for her funeral.
Ms Djuantiena Buang, 24, was so overwhelmed by grief when she found out that Ah Meng had died, she could not sleep on Friday night.
Said the customer service officer: ‘My family had planned to visit Ah Meng the past month but kept putting it off.’
So when relatives called her home on Friday to say that Ah Meng had died, she did not believe them.
Only when they watched the evening news did Ms Djuantiena and her family accept the fact. Her five-year-old son, Danial Dicky, cried.
‘Now we’ll never get to meet her,’ said Ms Djuantiena, who finally visited the zoo yesterday.
Some Singaporeans were disappointed that they missed the chance to have a picture taken with Ah Meng.
Said sales executive Louis Tan, 30: ‘She’s a famous character at the Singapore Zoo. I wish I had taken a picture with her earlier.’
Fans had to settle for a picture with the famous orang utan’s statue, instead.
At the zoo’s orang utan enclosure yesterday, one father loudly beckoned to his family members, telling them to take a picture with the statue because Ah Meng ‘si liao’ (Hokkien for ‘has died’).
Marketing officer Junice Yeo felt that Ah Meng was the original Singapore icon.
Said the 27-year-old: ‘She came from humble origins, had a lot of charisma and was very original. That’s why she was different.’
Deputy head keeper Mr Raj believes that Ah Meng will remain in the hearts of many.
‘Her name is synonymous with orang utans everywhere,’ he said. ‘Even at an Australian zoo, I hear people call the orang utans there ‘Ah Meng’.
‘She has created a deep impression people can never forget.’
— PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHEREEN NAAZ CHARLES SYARIFF‘I was planning to visit Ah Meng at the zoo today. When I read about her death in the papers, I was shocked and very sad. I’ve always liked Ah Meng a lot. In fact, this photo with her is framed up in my room.’
MS SHEREEN NAAZ CHARLES SYARIFF, now 20. She was two years old when this picture was taken.Animal celebrity
—PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEE SIEW YIAN‘Everyone talks about Ah Meng. Whenever anyone hears that I work at the zoo, they will always ask: ‘How’s Ah Meng doing?”
MS LEE SIEW YIAN, 34, formerly part of the marketing team at the zooPrimate pal
— ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM‘When my daughter-in-law told me Ah Meng was dead, I felt goosebumps on my skin because I felt a great sense of loss.
I treated Ah Meng as a best friend.’
MR JAMES TAY, 70, who was part of a science project team that helped to train Ah Meng when she was nine years oldSTI Home > News > Story
Feb 10, 2008
Just for her: A private farewell and quiet resting placeDURING her lifetime, Ah Meng rubbed shoulders with dignitaries and celebrities.
Her funeral ceremony today will be kept private and special for her close friends and keepers.
The zoo has chosen the perfect place within its sprawling grounds to bury their most famous icon – the Garden With A View.
It is a shady and windy spot overlooking the Seletar reservoir and a mere 100m from the orang utan enclosure which Ah Meng called home.
Said Ms Fanny Lai, executive director of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari: ‘It is the best site in the entire zoo.’
A bronze statue of Ah Meng has been placed near the site.
Ms Lai said there are plans to plant a durian tree over her grave because durian was Ah Meng’s favourite fruit.
The public can pay their last respects from 9am to 10.45am, after which a private memorial will be held, with only standing room available to the public.
For her funeral, Ah Meng will be placed in a human casket decorated with ferns, leaves, branches and twigs.
‘Eulogies’ will be delivered by Ms Lai and Ah Meng’s long-time minder, Mr Alagappasamy Chellaiyah.
The zoo is expecting some 200 guests at the private ceremony, including Mr Bernard Harrison, the former zoo chief and friend of Ah Meng.
The zoo also plans to name the next orang utan to be born there ‘Ah Meng Junior’.
Nur Dianah Suhaimi
A STATUE OF AH MENG, installed in 2006, is moved to the Garden With A View, where the iconic orang utan will be buried. There are plans to plant a durian tree over her grave. — ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN[/i]Home > Latest News > Singapore
Feb 10, 2008
4,000 visitors bid farewell to celebrity orang utan, Ah MengA crowd of 4,000 visitors turned up for the memorial service and funeral of Ah Meng on Sunday. — PHOTO: MY PAPER
SHE was a celebrity to many, but to her children and grandchildren, Ah Meng was their caring and generous mother who made sure they ate before she did.
On Sunday, before a crowd of 4,000 visitors said their last goodbyes to the Sumatran orang utan Ah Meng, who died last Friday, her family shared a private moment with her.
One grandchild gently touched her face, but others became upset when they saw her motionless, said zoo curator Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, 57.
‘You can look into their (the other orang utans) eyes, somehow or other, they knew that…Ah Meng was gone,’ said Mr Alagappasamy, who was at the zoo when Ah Meng first arrived and had tended to her ever since.
The face of the Singapore Zoo, Ah Meng died in her enclosure after a breakfast of fruits. She was around 48 years old, or 95 in human years.
Ah Meng, survived by four children and six grandchildren – some no longer at the zoo – was the matriarch of the orang utan enclosure.
Some of the remaining 24 animals have refused to eat in the past two days, while others are noticeably subdued, said Mr Alagappasamy.
Just as touched by her passing were zoo visitors. Some 4,000 people turned up and admission fees were waived in the morning to accommodate well-wishers wanting to pay their last respects.
A crowd of 4,000 visitors turned up for the memorial service and funeral of Ah Meng on Sunday. — PHOTO: MY PAPERAnother orang utan dies at Singapore Zoo
By Hasnita A. Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 13 February 2008 2340 hrs
SINGAPORE : Another orang utan has died at the Singapore Zoo.
30-month-old Atina died when her neck snapped after her mother Anita and other orang utans tried to free her from a nylon rope support. Her head was entangled by the rope while she was playing.
The Singapore Zoo said she died instantly.
Atina’s mother, Anita, is an orang utan that singer Anita Sarawak found at the doorstep of her condominium in Pandan Valley 23 years ago.
The Zoo said that it is greatly distressed to lose Atina in the freak accident.
The tragedy comes just less than a week after Ah Meng, Singapore’s famous orang utan, died of old age. – CNA/de
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The Orangutan, is also known as the man-like ape, or the Forest man.
While API believes that an a specie of the Orangutan may accounts for some of the sightings of Bigfoot in Malaysia, here in Singapore, our very own beloved Orangutan has died today, aged approximately 50 years old.
Ah Meng has also held a place in my heart, because I grew up knowing and hearing about her.
May God bless her…
Ah Meng will be reposed at the Zoo’s Garden with a View from 9-11am on Feb 10 where the public can visit her for the last time. — ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERANSTI Home > Latest News > Singapore
Feb 8, 2008
S’pore’s favourite Orang Utan, Ah Meng dies
She was the Singapore Zoo’s brightest star, loved by all.Singapore’s favourite Orang Utan, Ah Meng (above) has passed away on Friday due to old age. A memorial service will be held this Sunday morning at the Zoo’s Garden with a View. — PHOTO: SINGAPORE ZOOSHE was a great-looking Singapore girl who rubbed shoulders with royalty, movie stars and statesmen.
People paid to sip tea with her, and countless others liked nothing better than to be photographed next to her.
So when Ah Meng the orang utan died yesterday, aged 48, it marked the end of an era at the Singapore Zoo.
Saddened by the news, former zoo chief Bernard Harrison remembered: ‘She had the character to be a mega-star, the personality to pull that off and became a legend.’
Ah Meng was a household name and remained the zoo’s star attraction, even as age slowed her down. In human terms, she was nearly 95, and is believed to have died of old age.
Born in Sumatra, Indonesia, she arrived at the zoo in 1971 after being removed from a family who kept her as an illegal pet.
Stardom came in 1982 with the zoo’s ‘Breakfast with An Orang Utan’ programme, which featured Ah Meng at centre stage.
Within four years, she featured in almost 30 travel films and more than 270 write-ups worldwide.
Among those who dropped in on her were Britain’s Prince Philip, pop superstar Michael Jackson and actress Elizabeth Taylor.
Such was her pulling power that the then Singapore Tourism Promotion Board made her a Special Tourism Ambassador in 1992, the first non-human recipient of the award.
The zoo’s former head of public relations, Mr Robin Goh, said part of Ah Meng’s charm was how she took to people.
‘She came from a domesticated background as a pet and behaved differently from wild orang utans. She could drink tea from a teacup and looked good for an ape,’ he said.
Ah Meng is survived by four children and six grandchildren.
A memorial will be held at 11am on Sunday at the zoo, and the public will be able to view Ah Meng’s body from 9am.
Reacting to the news, President SR Nathan said at yesterday’s Istana open house that Ah Meng had long been a symbol of the Singapore Zoo.
‘A lot of people, both local and foreigners, have enjoyed her company,’ he said. ‘I’m sure the patrons of the zoo will miss her. But that’s life.’
A LEGEND, NO LESS
‘She had the character to be a mega-star, the personality to pull that off and became a legend.’ – FORMER ZOO CHIEF BERNARD HARRISON, on hearing about Ah Meng’s deathAh Meng, surrounded by her grandchildren, autographed her book. — ST FILE PHOTO: DENISE TAN Ah Meng kisses her minder Sam Alagappasamy. — ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERNAh Meng unveils her birthday ‘cake’, a large platter of her favourite fruits at her 46th birthday celebration. — PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERANAh Meng on her 44th birthday. — ST PHOTO: TAN SUAN ANN - Offline
STI Home > Singapore > Story
Feb 9, 2008
The life and times of the zoo’s most famous resident
Since 1971, Ah Meng had charmed visitors to the zoo, hobnobbed with celebrities and even received a special tourism ambassador award➡ 1971: The zoo’s most famous resident, Ah Meng the orang utan, is taken from a couple who were keeping her as a pet in their kampung house.
➡ April 1975: Ah Meng gives birth to a male named Hsing Hsing, her first offspring.
➡ August 1978: Zoo visitor throws a sharp metal or wooden object at Ah Meng, leaving a gash on her cheek.
➡ July 1980: She gives birth to Medan, a female offspring.
➡ March 1982: During the shooting of a promotional video, Ah Meng spends two nights up a tree (left) at MacRitchie Reservoir. She refuses to come down after the shoot is over and instead climbs higher. On her way down, she slips and falls seven storeys, breaking her right arm.
➡ 1982: The zoo introduces the Breakfast With An Orang Utan programme, with Ah Meng as its star.
➡ February 1983: Hong Bao, another female offspring, is born.
➡ October 1985: Ah Meng is mobbed by a crowd of 400 during her 21st birthday party.
➡ August 1989: During her second month of pregnancy, zoo keepers notice her bleeding. She is given an ultrasound by specialists from Thomson Medical Centre and National University Hospital, but has a miscarriage.
➡ April 1989: Pusung, an 11-year-old Sumatran orang utan from Perth, arrives as a mate for Ah Meng.
➡ November 1989: Ah Meng dines with Tanya Evans from Melbourne, Australia. The dying 11-year-old had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
➡ July 1990: She gives birth to a fourth offspring, Sayang, a female.
➡ September 1991: Ah Meng becomes a grandmother when her second-born, 10-year-old Medan, gives birth to son Kamal.
➡ September 1992: Ah Meng, jealous that her keeper is paying attention to a research student, attacks the visitor. The student, a Frenchwoman, is at the zoo to study orang utan behaviour.
➡ March 1992: Ah Meng receives a Special Tourism Ambassador award from the then-Singapore Tourist Promotion Board at the Westin Stamford. It was a one-time award specially created for her. She receives a certificate and a stack of bananas.
➡ September 1993: Ah Meng is among six orang utan having a romp with Michael Jackson at the Raffles Hotel pool.
➡ December 1996: Satria, her fifth offspring is born
➡ July 2005: Ah Meng is mated with 28-year-old Charlie
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STI Home > Singapore > Story
Feb 9, 2008
Goodbye, Ah Meng
By Radha Basu‘I knew her for more than 36 years. That’s longer than I’ve known my wife.’ — TRAINER ALAGAPPASAMY CHELLAIYAH, 57, who has known Ah Meng since the day she arrived at the Singapore ZooTO MOST Singaporeans, Ah Meng was the friendly, lovable orang utan who became a tourism icon and the face of the Singapore Zoo the world over.
But to the man who tended to her, played with her and looked after her every need for nearly four decades, she had grown to be as precious as family.Yesterday, hours after her surprise death, trainer Alagappasamy Chellaiyah was still walking slowly with his head bowed, lost in thought.
Inside the zoo office, he sat down with The Straits Times, quickly rubbed his tired, red eyes and said: ‘I knew her for more than 36 years.
‘That’s longer than I’ve known my wife.’
Now a curator of the zoo, the 57-year-old father of three grown-up children has known Ah Meng since the day she arrived at the Singapore Zoo as an 11-year-old, having been rescued from a Chinese family who had illegally kept her as a pet.
Though she had been growing old – she was estimated to have been around 48 years old, the human equivalent of nearly 95 – Ah Meng was in relatively good health.
A detailed medical examination – including blood and urine tests – a couple of months ago had given her the all-clear, though she moved slowly and suffered from occasional bouts of constipation.
So, despite her age, the end was somewhat unexpected.
‘She went for her customary walk yesterday. This morning, she had her usual breakfast of grapes, watermelons and oranges,’ said Mr Alagappasamy, who prefers to be known as Mr Samy.
But a mere half-hour later, she threw up, prompting Mr Samy to call for the vet.
While waiting for the vet, Ah Meng was on her feet, holding on to a wire mesh. Suddenly, Mr Samy noticed that although her eyes were open, she was motionless.
‘I knew this was not normal, I knew this was bad,’ said Mr Samy. It was 11.20am. The vet arrived soon after to confirm the worst.
Together with his colleagues, Mr Samy said he will miss Ah Meng’s ‘friendliness’ the most – that and the loving way in which she tended to her young.
‘She was so human, such a loving mother.
‘Even when she grew old, she was always playing with the young ones.’
It was some of these qualities, together with the numerous publicity campaigns she fronted, that made her special, said deputy head keeper Jackson Raj. The 34-year-old has also been tending to Ah Meng in recent years.
‘She liked eating grapes and dragonfruit,’ said Mr Raj. ‘But durians were her favourite.’
While the staff at the orang utan exhibit were subdued, news of Ah Meng’s death had yet to reach the hordes of holidaymakers thronging the zoo yesterday afternoon and staff elsewhere on the sprawling grounds.
Most greeted the news with surprise and sadness.
‘Are you sure the news is true?’ asked engineer Eric Tay, 34, who had visited the orang utan exhibit with his daughters earlier in the day.
‘There were several orang utan there, and I saw an elderly one lying down whom I thought was Ah Meng,’ he said.
Like Mr Tay, accountant Seaway Theng, 32, had also visited the orang utan exhibit yesterday afternoon and not noticed anything amiss.
Now a Singapore permanent resident, Mr Theng grew up in Johor, where he had heard of Ah Meng’s friendly antics and seen television footage of her.
When he first visited Singapore as a schoolboy in 1989, he made sure he went to the zoo and had a photograph taken with her.
‘She was so famous that we just had to get the picture,’ said Mr Theng, who was visiting the zoo yesterday with his wife and seven-month-old son.
Her death – like her life – will leave a mark on many who grew up in the 80s and 90s.
Said Mr Theng: ‘It’s sad, but she was old, so I can’t say I am surprised.’
Her life and times
Have some memory, anecdote or a picture you had taken with Ah Meng that you would like to share? Call Straits Times on 6319-5276 from 8am.
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Sad…the last time i saw her was lying down under a swing on 27th Jan 2008…
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STI Home > News > Story
Feb 10, 2008
Memorial service today for a S’pore icon
The public can pay their tribute from 9am to 10.45am, and visit a mini display on Ah Meng’s life
By Nur Dianah SuhaimiTHEY knew. Mum had died.
Ah Meng, the Singapore icon, left behind five children and six grandchildren when she died last Friday morning after eating her breakfast of fruits.
One sniff was all it took for the brood of younger orang utans at the zoo to know that the 48-year-old matriarch – 95 in human years – had left them.
Minutes after she died, the keepers gathered her brood around her so they could pay their last respects.
Ah Meng’s youngest son, Satria, 12, had his head to the ground. He ‘looked very depressed’, deputy head keeper Jackson Raj said yesterday.
The others also lost their appetite after her death, rejecting their meals – which is rare for orang
Even yesterday, the young ones were still not their usual selves. They were less frisky, said Mr Raj.
When The Sunday Times visited the Singapore Zoo yesterday, 11-year-old Chomel, said to be Ah Meng’s favourite granddaughter, was sitting on a tree branch and staring into space.
The usually responsive Chomel, who bears a striking resemblance to her famous grandmother, ignored the keepers’ calls.
Mr Biswajit Guha, the zoo’s assistant director of zoology, said certain species, like elephants and great apes, do get emotionally affected by a death in the family.
‘It is highly likely that such an intelligent species like the orang utan experiences grief,’ he said.
According to Ah Meng’s minder of 36 years, Mr Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, she was on her feet and holding on to a wire mesh when she suddenly went motionless.
Ah Meng will be buried during a special memorial service at the zoo today. The public may pay their tribute to her today from 9am to 10.45am at the zoo’s Garden With A View.
There will also be a mini display showcasing Ah Meng’s family history, awards and photographs during the last 37 years.
Her death has saddened her many fans and was much talked about by visitors to the zoo in Mandai yesterday.
Security officer Rajendra Kumar, 44, rushed down to the zoo yesterday, specially to pay his last respects to Ah Meng.
Two years ago, he had his picture taken with her.
‘She was very sweet. She gave me a hug and when the picture was taken, she put her arm around my shoulder,’ he said.
Disappointed that he could not get a glimpse of his ‘favourite girl’, Mr Kumar will be returning to the zoo today for her funeral.
Ms Djuantiena Buang, 24, was so overwhelmed by grief when she found out that Ah Meng had died, she could not sleep on Friday night.
Said the customer service officer: ‘My family had planned to visit Ah Meng the past month but kept putting it off.’
So when relatives called her home on Friday to say that Ah Meng had died, she did not believe them.
Only when they watched the evening news did Ms Djuantiena and her family accept the fact. Her five-year-old son, Danial Dicky, cried.
‘Now we’ll never get to meet her,’ said Ms Djuantiena, who finally visited the zoo yesterday.
Some Singaporeans were disappointed that they missed the chance to have a picture taken with Ah Meng.
Said sales executive Louis Tan, 30: ‘She’s a famous character at the Singapore Zoo. I wish I had taken a picture with her earlier.’
Fans had to settle for a picture with the famous orang utan’s statue, instead.
At the zoo’s orang utan enclosure yesterday, one father loudly beckoned to his family members, telling them to take a picture with the statue because Ah Meng ‘si liao’ (Hokkien for ‘has died’).
Marketing officer Junice Yeo felt that Ah Meng was the original Singapore icon.
Said the 27-year-old: ‘She came from humble origins, had a lot of charisma and was very original. That’s why she was different.’
Deputy head keeper Mr Raj believes that Ah Meng will remain in the hearts of many.
‘Her name is synonymous with orang utans everywhere,’ he said. ‘Even at an Australian zoo, I hear people call the orang utans there ‘Ah Meng’.
‘She has created a deep impression people can never forget.’
— PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHEREEN NAAZ CHARLES SYARIFF‘I was planning to visit Ah Meng at the zoo today. When I read about her death in the papers, I was shocked and very sad. I’ve always liked Ah Meng a lot. In fact, this photo with her is framed up in my room.’
MS SHEREEN NAAZ CHARLES SYARIFF, now 20. She was two years old when this picture was taken.Animal celebrity
—PHOTO: COURTESY OF LEE SIEW YIAN‘Everyone talks about Ah Meng. Whenever anyone hears that I work at the zoo, they will always ask: ‘How’s Ah Meng doing?”
MS LEE SIEW YIAN, 34, formerly part of the marketing team at the zooPrimate pal
— ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM‘When my daughter-in-law told me Ah Meng was dead, I felt goosebumps on my skin because I felt a great sense of loss.
I treated Ah Meng as a best friend.’
MR JAMES TAY, 70, who was part of a science project team that helped to train Ah Meng when she was nine years old- Offline
STI Home > News > Story
Feb 10, 2008
Just for her: A private farewell and quiet resting placeDURING her lifetime, Ah Meng rubbed shoulders with dignitaries and celebrities.
Her funeral ceremony today will be kept private and special for her close friends and keepers.
The zoo has chosen the perfect place within its sprawling grounds to bury their most famous icon – the Garden With A View.
It is a shady and windy spot overlooking the Seletar reservoir and a mere 100m from the orang utan enclosure which Ah Meng called home.
Said Ms Fanny Lai, executive director of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari: ‘It is the best site in the entire zoo.’
A bronze statue of Ah Meng has been placed near the site.
Ms Lai said there are plans to plant a durian tree over her grave because durian was Ah Meng’s favourite fruit.
The public can pay their last respects from 9am to 10.45am, after which a private memorial will be held, with only standing room available to the public.
For her funeral, Ah Meng will be placed in a human casket decorated with ferns, leaves, branches and twigs.
‘Eulogies’ will be delivered by Ms Lai and Ah Meng’s long-time minder, Mr Alagappasamy Chellaiyah.
The zoo is expecting some 200 guests at the private ceremony, including Mr Bernard Harrison, the former zoo chief and friend of Ah Meng.
The zoo also plans to name the next orang utan to be born there ‘Ah Meng Junior’.
Nur Dianah Suhaimi
A STATUE OF AH MENG, installed in 2006, is moved to the Garden With A View, where the iconic orang utan will be buried. There are plans to plant a durian tree over her grave. — ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN[/i]- Offline
Home > Latest News > Singapore
Feb 10, 2008
4,000 visitors bid farewell to celebrity orang utan, Ah MengA crowd of 4,000 visitors turned up for the memorial service and funeral of Ah Meng on Sunday. — PHOTO: MY PAPER
SHE was a celebrity to many, but to her children and grandchildren, Ah Meng was their caring and generous mother who made sure they ate before she did.
On Sunday, before a crowd of 4,000 visitors said their last goodbyes to the Sumatran orang utan Ah Meng, who died last Friday, her family shared a private moment with her.
One grandchild gently touched her face, but others became upset when they saw her motionless, said zoo curator Alagappasamy Chellaiyah, 57.
‘You can look into their (the other orang utans) eyes, somehow or other, they knew that…Ah Meng was gone,’ said Mr Alagappasamy, who was at the zoo when Ah Meng first arrived and had tended to her ever since.
The face of the Singapore Zoo, Ah Meng died in her enclosure after a breakfast of fruits. She was around 48 years old, or 95 in human years.
Ah Meng, survived by four children and six grandchildren – some no longer at the zoo – was the matriarch of the orang utan enclosure.
Some of the remaining 24 animals have refused to eat in the past two days, while others are noticeably subdued, said Mr Alagappasamy.
Just as touched by her passing were zoo visitors. Some 4,000 people turned up and admission fees were waived in the morning to accommodate well-wishers wanting to pay their last respects.
A crowd of 4,000 visitors turned up for the memorial service and funeral of Ah Meng on Sunday. — PHOTO: MY PAPER- Offline
Another orang utan dies at Singapore Zoo
By Hasnita A. Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 13 February 2008 2340 hrsSINGAPORE : Another orang utan has died at the Singapore Zoo.
30-month-old Atina died when her neck snapped after her mother Anita and other orang utans tried to free her from a nylon rope support. Her head was entangled by the rope while she was playing.
The Singapore Zoo said she died instantly.
Atina’s mother, Anita, is an orang utan that singer Anita Sarawak found at the doorstep of her condominium in Pandan Valley 23 years ago.
The Zoo said that it is greatly distressed to lose Atina in the freak accident.
The tragedy comes just less than a week after Ah Meng, Singapore’s famous orang utan, died of old age. – CNA/de
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