ST. LOUIS — A 19-year-old Sumatran orangutan recently gave birth to her first baby at the Saint Louis Zoo. It's the first birth of the critically endangered species at the Zoo in nine years.
The mother, named Rubih, and her newborn are bonding privately at the zoo's Jungle of the Apes area, zoo personnel said. Zoo-goers may have a chance to see the pair at the Jungle of the Apes if Rubih decides to move to the orangutan dayroom, but there is no guarantee.
“The first couple of months are critical for newborn orangutans,” said Helen Boostrom, the zoo's zoological manager of primates. “Rubih is a first-time mother and is doing an excellent job caring and providing for her baby and showing great maternal behaviors.”
The zoo's animal care team has not been able to determine the sex of the baby, and subsequently selected a name for it because Rubih is keeping the baby close.
Rubih and her baby's species are highly endangered due to habitat loss, the zoo said. Widespread deforestation driven by palm oil demand is the main cause. The birth was a result of a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to manage the endangered species and grow the population.
Rubih was born at the zoo in 2004, zoo personnel said. The baby's father, named Cinta, came to the zoo in 2012 from the San Diego Zoo.
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