This post was written by Miss Chrissy.
We are often asked where the name “Pongos” originated. It comes from the Genus name for the orangutans: Pongo. It’s not Pongo’s, as some folks sometimes write it, but rather Pongos. In other words, we’re a bunch of orangutans! Also, that animal in our logo is an orangutan.
So why orangutans? I spent a summer volunteering with the great apes at a local zoo while I was in college, studying for a degree in Zoology. That’s right! While I am now a programmer, I once planned to work with animals.
My favorite animals when I was at the zoo were the orangutans. Don’t get me wrong, I loved all of the apes, but the orangutans were particularly fun to watch, and had some amazing behaviors. One of the orangutans, Bonnie, mimicked a lot of keeper behaviors, like sweeping her enclosure with straw, and wiping her windows with cloth. She even taught herself, and another orangutan, Indah, how to whistle.
Now that you know where the name comes from, you’ll also understand why a lot of the examples that I give in classes have to do with animals, and especially orangutans.