A Bornean orangutan, a species threatened with extinction and even classified as “critically endangered”, was born at the Madrid Zoo, where keepers describe it as robust and developing normally.
After a gestation of eight and a half months, the mother, Surya, gave birth to a male orangutan weighing approximately 1.5 kilos on April 2, the Madrid Zoo Aquarium said in a press release.
The zoo released a video showing Surya hugging the newborn.
This will be named by a public vote from a list of options proposed by the trainers.
This is Surya’s fourth little one and the mother orangutan seems to be taking wonderful care of her youngest: the baby suckles regularly, a sign of healthy development.
“A real super-mom”
“When the baby suckles, everything seems to stop around her. She stays completely still until he’s finished, and only then does she go back to eating or doing something else. She’s a real supermom,” said Maica Espinosa, primate keeper at the zoo.
Orangutans usually give birth to a single calf, or sometimes twins.
They only have a maximum of one birth every six years, and the interval between two young can reach 10 years.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies Bornean orangutans – known for their red fur and gentle temperament – as “critically endangered,” with the main threats being rapid habitat destruction and the illegal wildlife trade.
The species only lives in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and on the island of Borneo, shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
