ST. LOUIS — The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Zoo just got one orangutan cuter.
A baby orangutan was born Dec. 22 to Rubih, 19. The child is Rubih’s first. The proud mama is keeping the baby primate close, and zookeepers have been unable to determine the as-yet unnamed child’s sex.
“The first couple of months are critical for newborn orangutans,†said Helen Boostrom, Zoological Manager of Primates, Saint Louis Zoo. “Rubih is a first-time mother and is doing an excellent job caring and providing for her baby and showing great maternal behaviors.â€
Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered, and their numbers are declining. This is the first orangutan birth at the Zoo in nine years.
Rubih was born at the Zoo in 2004. The father, Cinta, is also 19. He came to the Zoo from the San Diego Zoo in 2012. Cinta is also the father of Ginger, who lives with the family group at the Zoo.
People are also reading…
Rubih and her baby are temporarily at the maternity area of the Jungle of the Apes section of the Zoo and are generally not available for viewing. However, Rubih may choose to spend some time in the orangutan dayroom, where visitors will be able to see the pair.
The Zoo stresses that the option of privacy is important to the newborn and her mother.
Another baby is also on the way, though it will take a year to get here. Jade, an Asian elephant, is pregnant with her first child. She is due to give birth in about a year, at the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.