Today's Omaha zoo baby announcement: New baby Bornean orangutan on display (video added)

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Thu Dec 11, 2014, 04:37 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.omaha.com/living/today-s-omaha-zoo-baby-announcement-new-baby-bornean-orangutan/article_18464388-814b-11e4-bd23-b36eb1c48915.html

POSTED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014 9:33 AM
By Chris Peters / World-Herald staff writer

The newborns at the zoo keep coming.

A baby Bornean orangutan is now on display inside the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's Hubbard Orangutan Valley. The orangutan, which was born on Nov. 19 and is believed to be a female, is on display with first-time mother Sepilok and father Chip (also known as Bandar), who at 21 years old is the zoo's eldest orangutan.


HENRY DOORLY ZOO & AQUARIUM

A baby Bornean orangutan is now on display inside the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's Hubbard Orangutan Valley.


The new baby, which stays close to its mother, brings the zoo's total orangutan count to eight.

A female orangutan typically gives birth to about four or five offspring over the course of her lifetime, which averages about 40 years. Sepilok's roots in Hong Kong make the still-unnamed baby valuable for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' breeding efforts.

FULL story at link. Video: https://social.newsinc.com/media/json/69017/28251674/singleVideoOG.html?type=VideoPlayer%2FSingle&widgetId=2&trackingGroup=69017&videoId=28251674#.VIoAON7EQfs.twitter

[DarthDem]

1. Adorable! Thanks, Steve N/T

[hedda_foil]

2. Look at the smile on the proud mama's face.

She looks positively beatific.

[DreamGypsy]

3. From Orangutan Foundation International...

...FAQ's:

Are Orangutans endangered?
Yes. Orangutans are highly endangered species according to most wildlife monitoring organizations and conservation groups. IUCN lists Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) as Critically Endangered and Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) as Endangered. At the end of the Pleistocene orangutans were found throughout Southeast Asia, ranging all the way into southern China. Their populations probably numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Unfortunately, the species today is found only in limited populations on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Due to the destructive activities of humans, the wild population probably has decreased in the past decade more than 50%. Estimates of the current population are less than 60,000 with approximately 7,300 in Sumatra and the rest in Borneo.

Why are Orangutans threatened?
The destruction and fragmentation of tropical rain forests, particularly lowland forests, in Borneo and northern Sumatra, is the main reason orangutans are threatened. The main cause of this destruction is human activity: intensive legal and illegal logging, conversion to agricultural lands, mining, settlements, and road construction. However, the main threat to wild orangutans is the clearing of forest for the establishment of timber estates and palm oil plantations, usually by fire. Additionally, the illegal animal trade has been one factor in the decline of wild orangutan populations. Orangutans are still occasionally hunted and eaten by aboriginal peoples in Borneo and also by some migrants.

Why Save Orangutans?
Orangutans are the largest arboreal (tree-dwelling) animals; their fruit-eating and seed-dispersing behavior is of ecological significance, helping to shape and preserve tropical rain forests.

Orangutans are a keystone species. As orangutans disappear, it signals the disappearance of thousands of other animals and plant species in fragile tropical rain forest habitats. Conversely, by saving orangutans and their habitats, we save those same species.

Orangutans are, with the other great apes, among the most intelligent beings to have evolved on land. As individuals, orangutans display unique and rich personalities. They provide models for human behavior, in terms of physiology, cognition, and evolution..

As great apes and one of humankind’s closest primate relatives, orangutans are sentient beings that deserve respect and life.

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Thanks for this post, Omaha Steve. You helped me solve a bit of a gift problem I was having. I have decided to make three families of nieces and nephews foster parents for orangutans this year.

[pennylane100]

4. Thanks for sharing

such a beautiful photo.