Keepers at Chester Zoo are gathering information on the emergence of teeth in their young orangutans.

The study will help to improve age estimation of orangutans in the wild and also the orphaned orangutans in rehabilitation facilities in South East Asia.

The dental age estimation will help conservation projects of vets in Malaysia and Indonesia, as animals often need to be moved if they are under threat.

Chester Zoo vet Steve Unwin said Malaysian and Indonesia vets working in rehabilitation centers shared than orangutan is dependent on its mother for the first eight years of its life. With this, Steve added it is very difficult to know the ages of young orangutans.

"So, if a rehabilitated youngster is thought to be eight years old but is actually only five, this can potentially affect its chances of survival when it's reintroduced into the forest", said Steve.

This is how zoos and captive populations of species can contribute in conservation efforts in the world. Primate keeper Kate Brice said their orangutans seem to like having their teeth checked. It might be because they use honey to make them open their mouth wide.

As soon as they open their mouth to lick honey, they quickly take photos of the inside of their mouths. For now, baby tooth timings of two young Sumatran orangutans - Tripa and Tuti are being monitored. They are just one year old and signs of teeth were seen when they were five months old.

Main aim is to know whether or not tooth timings linking to the development of permanent incisors, canines and premolars is different in males and females and between Sumatran and Bornean species of orangutans. In October, the zoo will launch a campaign to further protect orangutans in the wild.