Orang utan in US learns to breastfeed her baby after watching zookeeper
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The zoo said it is likely Zoe never learnt how to be a mother as she was orphaned at nine months old.
PHOTO: METRO RICHMOND ZOO
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VIRGINIA - An orang utan who did not know how to breastfeed her baby learnt by watching a zookeeper nurse her own child.
At Virginia’s Metro Richmond Zoo in the United States, Zoe the orang utan had previously failed to show maternal instincts to her first baby born in 2021. According to the zoo, she would not nurse her son Taavi or hold him properly and he had to be hand-raised by the animal care team.
“It’s likely Zoe never learnt how to be a mum since she was orphaned at nine months old when her own mother died unexpectedly,” said Metro Richmond Zoo.
But it was determined to teach Zoe how to nurse her next baby, born on Dec 12, 2022.
The zoo contacted zookeeper Whitlee Turner, who was also a new mother, and asked her to breastfeed in front of 13-year-old Zoe in the hope that the orang utan would learn from a live demonstration.
“The whole time, she just kept watching me curiously. She didn’t immediately breastfeed her baby, but she was definitely watching the whole time,” said Ms Turner, who exaggerated her movements so that Zoe could see where her baby went while breastfeeding, pointing and talking as she did so.
Less than 24 hours later, Zoe nursed her baby for the first time.
“I had a really hard time in the beginning as a new mum with my breastfeeding journey,” Ms Turner said, adding that she required a lot of guidance before she figured it out. “I think it was really special being able to share this with Zoe. Whether it is an orang utan or a human, I just want to be able to help any new mum.”
Zookeepers continued honing Zoe’s maternal instincts, setting up a TV, so she could watch videos of other orang utans giving birth and caring for their young.
A zookeeper also showed Zoe how to hold and nurse a baby by using a stuffed toy almost daily for months.
PHOTO: METRO RICHMOND ZOO
Zookeeper Jessica Gring also showed Zoe how to hold and nurse a baby by using a stuffed toy orang utan almost daily for months.
“I would have (the stuffed animal) so it was going around my waist and around my neck just like a baby would be clinging on to Zoe’s side,” said Ms Gring.
“The idea is we want to be able to get a good view on body condition and overall wellness check, so she was able to do exactly mirror image of what we had shown her which was really, really exciting.”
