The orangutans at the Smithsonian National Zoo get to make a lot of decisions for themselves. “They are a great ape and we are a great ape as well,” says Erin Stromberg, a primate keeper at the zoo. “We want to offer them a lot of choice and control in their lives.”

During Orangutan Caring Week, an international effort to focus on the species, the zoo puts a special emphasis on showing off the different activities it offers to Batang, Bonnie, Iris, Kiko, Lucy, and Kyle.

Have you ever wondered what apes are thinking? We do! Our daily 1:30 p.m. demonstration at Think Tank allows visitors to see orangutan cognition research in action. Our research is helping scientists understand how great apes’ brains work, from memory to tool use to the possibility of complex problem-solving. The apes have the choice to participate—and most seem to like the challenge, including Iris! #WeSaveSpecies #OrangutanCaringWeek Photo: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

A photo posted by Smithsonian’s National Zoo (@smithsonianzoo) on Nov 10, 2015 at 7:50am PST

“Obviously we care about our orangutans every week, but it’s a nice way to feature them. We’re just constantly trying to find new ways to keep them active and their minds stimulated,” Stromberg says.

The Orangutan Transport System—more often known as the O-Line—allows the primates to swing across the cables to go to and from the Great Ape House and the Think Tank building. Celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, the O-Line allows the primates to “choose where to spend the night and who to spend the night with,” according to Stromberg.

Look up! Our orangutans travel 500 feet between the Great Ape House and the Think tank on the Orangutan Transport System, or O-Line. This #ZooEnrichment encourages the apes to exercise and use their natural climbing and brachiating behaviors. We were the first Zoo to implement an O-Line; it opened in 1995: 20 years ago! #OrangutanCaringWeek

A photo posted by Smithsonian’s National Zoo (@smithsonianzoo) on Nov 12, 2015 at 11:58am PST

Of course, they’re not entirely free to make decisions about their lives. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums acts as a matchmaker. It determines a “Species Survival Plan,” which examines the primates’ genetics to decide who should reproduce together.

The SSP says that female Batang and male Kyle, both 19-years-old, are a breeding pair. Both are Bornean orangutans. Batang had been on human birth control (“We have to make responsible choices because orangutans can live past 50,” explains Stromberg), but was recently taken off the contraception to get things going with Kyle.

Happy #OrangutanCaringWeek to our six orangutans: Batang, Bonnie, Iris, Kiko, Kyle and Lucy! Through positive #ZooEnrichment reinforcement training, our orangutans have learned to present all of their body parts so vets can monitor their health, lessening the need for anesthesia. These learned behaviors minimize stress on the animals by allowing them to voluntarily participate in their own health care. They even recently received their flu shots! Photo: Smithsonian’s National Zoo

A photo posted by Smithsonian’s National Zoo (@smithsonianzoo) on Nov 8, 2015 at 7:23am PST

“She’s starting to feel her hormones a little bit, and that’s making her feel a little frisky,” says Stromberg. However, neither Kyle nor the other male, Kiko, have responded with interest.

The SSP might have its ideas about mating, but the orangutans get a say, too. “There might be a love connection on paper, but it doesn’t always work out,” says Stromberg. “It’s not like you can flip a switch and make things happen.”

You can help orangutans! Only 54,000 endangered Bornean orangutans and 6,600 critically endangered Sumatran orangutans remain. Today, mining, palm oil plantations, and widespread fires are harming habitat and putting orangutans in peril. Look for products made with sustainable palm oil and support wildlife-friendly farming practices that save orangutans’ habitats from deforestation. #OrangutanCaringWeek Photo: Ann Batdorf, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

A photo posted by Smithsonian’s National Zoo (@smithsonianzoo) on Nov 11, 2015 at 8:31am PST

Complicating matters is that Kyle already has a “lady friend”—Bonnie, born in 1976 and described on the website as “a particularly intelligent orangutan” and self-taught whistler.

Primate keepers know that Kyle and Bonnie are into each other because “they copulate all of the time,” says Stromberg. Are keepers worried about the drama that might ensue? “We’re actually hoping for jealousy from Batang. Everyone holds their breath when Kyle and Batang interact.”

Go for it, Batang. D.C. is already the city with the fourth-highest rate of women making the first move.

However, Stromberg cautions against ascribing too much of our human experience to the orangutans. A smile, for instance, means very different things to a human and to an orangutan. “They have unique facial expressions and vocalizations, though they don’t have as many as other primates because they’re the only great ape that doesn’t live in a social group.”

DYK: orangutans are experts at building nests! Wherever an orangutan lives—in the wild or in a zoo—they build new nests every night. They add their own personal touches, too. Groups and individuals perform unique behaviors: one may vocalize while nest-building, while another might choose an accessory to adorn the nest. Curator Meredith Bastian monitored wild orangutans in Borneo. Now, she’s using her extensive research to find similarities and differences between wild orangutans’ nests with those of the Zoo’s orangutans! One thing is clear: the nests sure look comfy! #OrangutanCaringWeek Photo: Elizabeth Herrelko, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

A photo posted by Smithsonian’s National Zoo (@smithsonianzoo) on Nov 9, 2015 at 7:11am PST