Council accepts money to build Rusti's home

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

By next summer, Rusti the orangutan should be free of the tiny cage he has called home for the past seven years and lounging in spacious new quarters at the Honolulu Zoo.

Rusti

Although Rusti's new home could run to $450,000, the city will come up with the extra money if necessary, city Enterprise Services Director Barry Fukunaga said yesterday.

Fukunaga said that about $150,000 of the preliminary construction estimate is for sewer lines, walkways, landscaping and other infrastructure that typically would be borne by the city.

He and zoo director Ken Redman argued that the gift should be accepted. They said they would rather the city not have to pay anything but go along with the deal.

Rusti was brought to Honolulu in 1997 after his owners, the Orangutan Foundation International, helped remove him from what they called substandard conditions at a New Jersey zoo.

He was expected to stay at the Honolulu Zoo for six months, but has remained in his cage while various plans for a permanent sanctuary — including locations on the Big Island and Kualoa Ranch in Windward O'ahu — fell by the wayside.

OFI initially promised as much as $200,000 for a new enclosure. But a recent letter from group attorney Jon Van Dyke said an additional $100,000 had been promised by "a local foundation with a longstanding interest in the care of animals."

The city must now wait for the foundation to finalize construction plans, get them approved by the proper city agencies, and go out to bid for a contractor. Construction is slated to begin this fall and take six months.

Councilman Nestor Garcia cast the lone dissenting vote yesterday.

"There are too many questions still left unanswered by today's discussion and by this agreement," Garcia said. "I have questions about the financing of the construction of the enclosure; I have questions about this new organization that has suddenly come before the city to offer assistance."

Zookeeper Linda Vanatta told council members the foundation could not be trusted, and urged them not to accept the gift.

"OFI dropped Rusti off at our zoo 7 1/2 years ago and left," Vanatta said. "They abandoned him."

The city had raised concerns about whether ORI would have the final say on Rusti's upkeep. Both Redman and Van Dyke said the zoo would keep authority.

Parks Committee Chairman Mike Gabbard acknowledged that while questions remain about how much the city may end up spending for the habitat, "members of the City Council have made every attempt to do the right thing for the taxpayers, Rusti and for the zoo. The motion before us to accept this gift is simply another indication that the City Council is willing to make an opportunity available to the public, to the administration and to OFI to make their case whether or not this gift should be accepted."

Van Dyke and Fukunaga also noted that the foundation is picking up the tab for 1 1/2 caretaker positions assigned specifically to Rusti, as well as the cost of his food.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.