Mandai Wildlife Reserve welcomes critically endangered orang utan baby
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The Bornean orang utan baby can be seen clinging onto Miri, its mother, as she swings and climbs around the orang utan enclosure at Orangutan Island.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM MANDAI WILDLIFE RESERVE/FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE – Visitors to the Singapore Zoo can now catch a glimpse of a three-week-old orang utan at the wildlife attraction in Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
Born on March 23, the Bornean orang utan baby and her mother, Miri, “are settling in beautifully”, Mandai Wildlife Reserve said on social media on April 10.
“We have a feeling this is just the beginning.”
Ms Wendy Chua, curator of animal care (operations) at Mandai Wildlife Group, said animal care and veterinary teams had been closely monitoring 33-year-old Miri, following confirmation of her pregnancy.
Shortly after giving birth, mother and baby were guided to a quiet, off-exhibit maternity den where they had time to rest, bond and adjust, while receiving close care from the zoo’s team.
The pair were returned to the exhibit on April 7.
“Miri has been calm, attentive and protective, keeping her baby close as they gradually settle back into their familiar surroundings,” Ms Chua added.
In a video posted by Mandai Wildlife Reserve on social media, the auburn-haired baby can be seen clinging on to Miri as the mother swings and climbs around the orang utan enclosure at Orangutan Island – a free-ranging exhibit for the tree-dwelling mammals.
The orang utan is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This means the animals are at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
There are three known species of orang utans: the Sumatran, Bornean and Tapanuli. The main threats to them include deforestation and hunting.
There are around 104,700 Bornean orang utans and some 14,600 Sumatran orang utans in the wild, based on estimates by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
The population of Tapanuli orang utans, which have been described as the world’s rarest ape, is around only 800.
The orang utan – which translates to “person of the forest” in Malay – is the largest tree-dwelling mammal.
Female orang utans give birth only once every eight years, the longest period of any animal, according to the National Geographic. The babies then stay with their mother for around six to seven years while learning how to survive.
The animals can live for up to 60 years under human care.
The orang utan infant joins other recent births at Mandai. A Sunda pangolin, also a critically endangered species, was born on March 1. Two capybaras were born on Jan 4, although one did not survive.
In a statement on March 19 announcing the birth of the “pango pup”, Mandai Wildlife Group said a female pangolin is expected to give birth in the coming months.
Visitors can find out more at the Singapore Zoo’s website.
