Kitra’s 3-week-old baby is named for her ‘flaming locks of auburn hair’
After a few weeks of consideration, care staff have selected a name for orangutan Kitra’s new baby. Inspired by the line in the Dolly Parton classic that goes, “Your beauty is beyond compare / with flaming locks of auburn hair,” she will be called Jolene.
“Because we’re giving Kitra and her baby plenty of room to bond, we were unable to tell if she’d had a boy or a girl until recently,” said Kate Gilmore, who oversees the zoo’s primate area. “Once we confirmed she was a girl, our keeper team knew right away what they wanted to call her. They’ve been playing the song on repeat ever since!”
Toronto Zoo's newest Mom and baby continue to do well behind-the-scenes and he nurses often throughout the day. The other orangutans are fascinated by the new arrival, and Sekali continues to seem content to show him off
Please note Sekali and her baby are not currently viewable at this time. We will make an announcement when they are ready to make their public debut.
First-time mom Kitra and her new baby are doing well, caregivers say
The Oregon Zoo’s primate family grew by a few pounds on Wednesday morning as 20-year-old Bornean orangutan Kitra gave birth to a new baby, adding to the world population of this critically endangered species.
Caregivers said the newborn entered the world on April 13, at around 11 a.m. The first-time mom and her new arrival are doing well in their behind-the-scenes maternity den.
Kaja update: Kaja and Indah continue to have “intro” sessions every day under supervision at San Diego Zoo, but there has not been any progression with their bond. The Wildlife Care Specialists will begin introductions with his sibling, Aisha, to assess her capacity as a surrogate.
Kaja is perfectly healthy and right on track for a nearly 3-month-old orangutan. He has even begun teething which is just as taxing for him as it would be for a human child. Stay tuned for more updates and see Kaja’s previous clips at the links below.
Your Toronto Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, born Friday April 8 at 3:06 p.m. to mother Sekali. The day prior to the birth, Sekali was exhibiting signs of restlessness and discomfort. Keepers monitored her closely overnight and although she seemed to settle down and looked comfortable, it was noted that her eyes were open for a much larger portion of the night than usual. The morning of April 8, keepers noticed Sekali was showing increasing signs of discomfort, and her water broke at 11:30 a.m. Things progressed smoothly right through to the baby’s birth. Sekali’s maternal instincts kicked in right away: she immediately held the baby against her body, cleaned it, and showed concern whenever it vocalized. She even carefully repositioned the umbilical cord when shifting positions and thanks to the maternal training provided by Keepers, Sekali brought the baby up to the Keepers to let them get a close visual check a few hours after it was born – and identify the newborn as a male!
This is the second offspring for twenty-nine-year-old Sekali, who gave birth to her son, Kembali, in 2006, and the first offspring for Budi, a fifteen-year old male. Both Sekali and Budi were born at the Toronto Zoo (to unrelated parents) and were paired at the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Orangutan Species Survival Plan (SSP). This cooperative breeding program, coupled with direct support of conservation work in Sumatra, is part of the Toronto Zoo’s commitment to ensure this critically endangered species will survive for future generations. The Toronto Zoo currently houses the only Sumatran orangutans in Canada and, as part of the AZA Sumatran Orangutan SSP, thirteen orangutans have been raised at your Toronto Zoo since 1974.
Auckland Zoo is delighted to announce the safe and speedy arrival of a healthy baby Bornean orangutan, born on Sunday 20 March to second-time parents Melur and Charlie!
Melur (33) had a quick and straightforward labour without any complications, supported by Charlie and the Zoo’s primate team, and her baby (whose sex is yet to be confirmed) was born at 11.30am.
A bouncing baby Bornean orangutan was born to ZooTampa's resident orangutan parents, mom Hadiah and dad Goyang.
The baby was born Feb. 6, weighing about 3 1/2 pounds. Just over nine weeks later, mom and baby are still making public appearances in the orangutan habitat, and fans have been flocking to the Tampa zoo to catch a glimpse of the baby girl, who's already active and starting to explore her environment, keeping Hadiah on her toes.
