Twycross Zoo in East Midlands celebrated the birth a critically endangered Bornean orangutan this month, the second baby to arrive at the zoo this year.
Born to experienced mother Kibriah, who celebrated her 40th birthday in January, the new baby made an appearance at noon on 16th June, much to the surprise of visitors to the zoo that day. The new arrival is doing well and can now be seen with its mother, as can the older baby boy who was born in March and is becoming more active and independent.
The iconic orangutan faces an uncertain future in the wild with population numbers steadily plummeting. Last year, the status of Bornean orangutans was changed to critically endangered, as the tropical forests they inhabit are cleared to make space for oil palm plantations, a highly demanded product in many food and cosmetic items.
Orangutans are dependant on their mother for a long time, with babies nursing until the age of six to seven years and only becoming fully mature in their teens. In the long term, the babies from Twycross Zoo will be rehomed at other zoos, where they will meet their own mates and go on to have offspring themselves.
Miguel Bueno, Curator of Living Collections at Twycross Zoo says, “We are so excited about this baby. Even for our keepers, witnessing the birth is not a common thing. For example, when Maliku gave birth in March we only found out about it on the morning afterwards, as it all happened without our intervention overnight. Kibriah’s birth last Friday was a special moment for all of us and it was fantastic to see how her experience with previous babies meant that we did not need to step in. Molly, Maliku’s six-year-old daughter has now witnessed another birth, which is going to help her later on in her life when she has her own babies. Our orangutans are going to keep us very busy with two new babies growing up together, but it is something we all look forward to.”
Twycross Zoo is open to the public from 10am to 6pm. For more information call 0844 474 1777, or visit www.twycrosszoo.org.
Discover Animals is a small team dedicated to bringing you the latest conservation and nature news. If you enjoy our content, please support our work with a donation from as little as £1.
