Baby Orangutan Makes Debut At Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

TAMPA, FL - A baby orangutan was born Saturday at the Lowry Park Zoo and made its debut Thursday morning at the Bornean orangutan habitat. The baby was 3 pounds at birth. The baby’s mother, Dee Dee, has given birth four times successfully, zoo officials said. It was father, Goyang’s, third baby born at the zoo. In October, a human pregnancy test confirmed that Dee Dee was pregnant.

The zoo is currently home to a group of seven endangered orangutans and participates in the Bornean Orangutan Species Survival Plan. The program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) protects wildlife species at risk of extinction. The baby will be the 10th Bornean orangutan born at the zoo. There are fewer than 100 Bornean orangutans in 24 AZA-accredited institutions in North America.

Native to Malaysia and Indonesia, the long-haired red great apes can be found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The species is considered endangered in the wild due to critical habitat loss, increased use of palm oil, poaching and pet trade. The population declined more than 50 percent during the last 60 years.

Video and image via Lowry Park Zoo