El Paso Zoo’s Sumatran orangutans expecting 1st baby this spring
The El Paso Zoo’s Sumatran orangutans, Ibu and Butch, are expecting their first baby this spring.
This will be the first offspring for both Ibu and Butch.
Butch, 29, came to El Paso Zoo in March 2011 to breed with 23-year-old Ibu as part of a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan. Ibu is one of 12 females included in the plan.
“There are no words to explain our excitement about her pregnancy. We’ve been working with Ibu to prepare her for pregnancy and motherhood for several years,” said Griselda Martinez, Collections Supervisor.
The El Paso Zoo is one of 27 AZA accredited institutions with Sumatran orangutans.
“Staff has been working hard on many fronts for orangutan conservation and this represents a very important component of that effort. The birth of a Sumatran orangutan at the El Paso Zoo could be one of the most important conservation achievements in the history of the zoo,” said Steve Marshall, El Paso Zoo Director.
Many conservationists predict that if any of the five species of great apes become extinct in the wild during this century, it will be the Sumatran orangutan. The wild population has declined dramatically by more than 50 percent during the past few decades with an estimated wild population of only 7,300.
“This birth is going to be very significant for our Zoo and orangutans. Ibu’s keepers have worked extremely hard to make it possible for the veterinary team to monitor Ibu. She presents her stomach and we are able to perform sonograms which made it easier for us to confirm that she is pregnant and monitor the developing baby,” said Dr Victoria Milne, Zoo Veterinarian.
The El Paso Zoo has focused on Sumatran orangutan conservation efforts as one of its top priorities over the past 10 years with support from the El Paso Zoological Society Conservation Fund.
The fund supports programs in Indonesia that rescue and relocate hundreds of injured, orphaned and displaced orangutans. In recent years, the Zoo has expanded its conservation efforts to include more targeted education programs, the further development of a palm oil smart phone application and a partnership with UTEP that sends Zoo staff to Indonesia to assist with “hands on” orangutan conservation.
The community can help with Ibu’s baby training by purchasing a plush orangutan at the Zoo’s gift shop and donating it to Ibu. Call(915) 521-1871for more information.
To follow Ibu’s pregnancy and get exclusive weekly information, the community can follow her mommy blog “Motherhood: A New WILD Life…From Sonogram to Orangutan” at Ibusmommyblog.com.
Source: El Paso Zoo
