Denver Zoo Welcomes Newborn Baby Sumatran Orangutan

The Denver Zoo proudly welcomed a newborn baby Sumatran orangutan last week. The baby was born to mom Eirina on Sunday, August 27. The zoo reports that the mother and her baby—who is believed to be female and doesn’t have a name yet—are doing very well in the Great Apes habitat. The zoo is still unsure of who the father is, but they’ve narrowed it down to 30-year-old Berani or 15-year-old Jaya, and they intend to do a DNA test to determine the paternity.

Eirina had received a breeding recommendation as part of the Sumatran Orangutan Species Survival Plan to boost the population of the species, which is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to things like hunting and black-market pet trades.

Eirina came to Denver by way of Dortmund Zoo in Germany back in 2016. Her pregnancy even made national headlines when People Magazine picked up a story about Eirina’s morning sickness. Cindy Cossaboon, an animal care specialist with the zoo, says that Eirina showed obvious signs of discomfort and distress early on in her pregnancy until Cossaboon remembered a tea that she drank to help with her morning sickness when she was pregnant. After consulting with management, the veterinarian team, and the nutritionist team, Cossaboon gave the tea to Eirina and was surprised at how successful it was.

“When orangutans really like how something tastes, they will swish it around in their mouth to savor the taste,” Cossaboon explains to People. “I brought Eirina her tea. She sat up from her nest. She took a sip from her straw, and she looked like a chipmunk with these huge cheeks while she swished away. She loved it.” Eirina’s caretakers soon saw a marked improvement in the orangutan’s mood after giving her the tea on a regular basis.

The zoo also came up with a cute idea to help support the newborn baby and mother: an orangutan baby registry. Supporters of the zoo can make donations to help get the baby wellness exams, help promote mental and physical enrichment for the new ape family, help with a personalized nutrition plan, and offer treats for Eirina and the baby’s father (once it’s determined who that is).

Photo courtesy of Denver Zoo