COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the first time in more than 60 years, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is welcoming a new Bornean orangutan. The birth marks a significant development since the species is critically endangered.
The baby girl was born on Nov. 28 just after midnight to first-time mother Khali.
According to the zoo, Khali has been very attentive to the baby’s needs so far. The care team is continuing to observe the two closely.
Since the mother shares a close bond with her care team, she brings her baby over to the keepers for visual examinations and continues to participate in training sessions.
While orangutans are social animals, interaction outside of breeding is often limited. Once the baby was born, Khali and the baby were moved to an area to give them space and the baby has visual access to her father 30-year-old Sulango, and Dumplin, a 49-year-old female and the oldest Bornean Orangutan living at a zoo in the United States.
Audra Meinelt, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium’s Curator of Congo Expedition and Orangutans, said that Sulango has been seen catching glimpses of the newborn but has been respectful of Khali and her privacy.
“Shortly after the pair was reunited, Khali approached Sulango and started to groom him. Sulango took this opportunity to calmly look at the baby, his first female offspring,” said Meinelt.
The pairing of Khali and Sulango was recommended to the Columbus Zoo by the Orangutan Species Survival Plan. Females may produce 4 to 5 offspring in their lifetime, making each birth important.
The last orangutan birth happened at the Columbus Zoo in 1962.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome the baby orangutan, and we are grateful to our dedicated Animal Care team, who have applied their expertise in all of the preparations over the last several years leading up to the breeding and birth. Not only is this adorable baby already stealing our hearts with her head full of reddish-brown hair and incredible, soulful eyes, but her birth is extremely significant for her species. We look forward to inviting our guests to come see her in the near future so they, too, can see the hope that she represents and be inspired to take action to help protect orangutans’ future,” said Dr. Jan Ramer, Senior Vice President of Animal Care and Conservation at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
According to the zoo, Bornean orangutans are the largest arboreal mammal and orangutans share approximately 97% of the same DNA as humans.
The population of orangutans is estimated to be approximately 70,000-100,000 individuals, and over the past 20 years, their habitat has declined by more than 80% mostly due to logging and the clearing of habitat in oil palm plantations.
