Critically endangered Bornean orangutan breastfeeds her newborn baby after giving birth in UK zoo

A critically endangered Bornean orangutan lovingly cuddles and feeds her newborn baby after giving birth at Chester Zoo.

The youngster, which is too tiny for zookeepers to determine its sex, was born to doting mum Sarikei in the early hours of last Thursday (31/8).

Bornean orangutans are declared critically endangered – which is classed as one step away from total extinction.

The newborn orangutan will join a European-wide conservation breeding programme aiming to bolster the population of the rare primate in conservation zoos.

Mark Brayshaw, Head of Mammals at Chester Zoo, said: “The birth of an animal that’s so rare is always something to celebrate and seeing the new baby in the arms of mum Sarikei is incredibly special.

“She’s a great mum and has spent the first few days cradling her baby closely, feeding it regularly and building close bonds – all the signs are great so far.

“With the newborn just a few days old we’ve not yet managed to clearly identify if it’s male or female.

“What’s most important though is that there’s another healthy Bornean orangutan on the planet.

“To have a new addition within the international conservation breeding programme that’s working to safeguard the species’ future, is a hugely positive step in the right direction.”

The baby was born to mum Sarikei, 40, and her toyboy partner 21-year-old Willie.

Sarikei will help bring the baby up with her mother Martha, who also lives at the zoo.

Hundreds of thousands of orangutans have died in the past four decades across
Borneo – with many slaughtered by hunters, burned in land-clearing fires or starved to death because of their loss of habitat.

The rapid expansion of palm oil operations across the island has reduced the species’ habitat by at least 55 percent in only two decades.

Mike Jordan, Animal and Plant Director at the zoo, said: “The birth of a Bornean orangutan holds an incredible amount of significance for those fighting for this species.

“The island of Borneo, the only place where these magnificent apes are found, has lost more than 40 per cent of its rainforests since the turn of the millennia.

“This relentless habitat loss has seen rainforests, and many of the thousands of species living in them, completely disappear with incredible pace.”