El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens welcomes newborn orangutan
EL PASO, Texas -- A Sumatran orangutan was born this week at The El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens, marking the second birth of the species at the zoo.
Parents Ibu and Butch had their first baby, Khaleesi, in 2015. The El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens announced Wednesday that they have welcomed their second.
Ibu is very protective of the newborn, so the zoo has not yet named the baby as they have not been able to conduct an initial exam and confirm the gender.
The zoo staff helped Ibu prepare for another birth throughout her pregnancy, but the mother orangutan did not seem to need much help when it came time to give birth.
“Even though Ibu’s belly was bigger than when she was pregnant with Khaleesi, delivery seemed to be a breeze. Around noon she was observed coming off the exhibit and went to her bedroom as if nothing was going on and to our surprise when we went to feed her around 3 p.m. she had her baby!” said El Paso Zoo Asia Collections Supervisor Griselda Martinez, “The baby was clinging on, nursing, and has a fuzzy little tuff of blondish hair all around its face and body. Ibu is an amazing and awesome mom! We just love her so much.”
Khaleesi has not seemed very happy since the birth of her new sibling, which zoo staff expected. The older sibling has demonstrated jealousy over the newborn in multiple instances, in which Ibu had to discipline Khaleesi.
Ibu, Khaleesi and the new baby can be found at the exhibit yard from 9 a.m. to noon, then will be in the outside yard with Butch. Once the baby is older and familiarized with the exhibit, the orangutan family will be in the exhibit together.
“Sumatran orangutans are among the most critically endangered primates in the world. The threat to the orangutan population is the loss of forest habitat as it is converted to palm oil plantations, mining, road clearing, legal and illegal logging, forest fires, and hunting,” said El Paso Zoo Director Joe Montisano, “Today, there are an estimated 14,000 orangutans in the wild, with numbers continuing to drop at an alarming rate. It is estimated that orangutans will be extinct from the wild within the next 10 years, so every animal we add to the captive population is a very significant birth.”
