A critically endangered Bornean orangutan has been born at Chester Zoo.
The tiny infant was delivered safely by experienced mum Leia following an eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy.
Primate experts at the zoo have hailed the birth as “an important step forward” in efforts to safeguard the rare species and report that both mum and her new baby are doing well.
Bornean orangutans are highly threatened in the wild due to deforestation, illegal hunting and conflict with people. This ranks them as the highest conservation priority to prevent their extinction.
The newborn in Chester joins an international conservation breeding programme that’s working to protect the species from extinction and ensure its future for generations to come.
Chris Yarwood, Assistant Team Manager of Primates at Chester Zoo, said:
“Leia is a wonderful mum. She’s extremely attentive and has spent the first few days holding her baby close, feeding regularly and forming a really strong maternal bond. It’s a huge privilege to witness.
“The baby is still tiny and we haven’t yet been able to determine the sex – but what really matters is that it’s healthy and that Leia is doing a brilliant job, as we knew she would.
“Any birth of a Bornean orangutan is incredibly special given how threatened the species is. It’s an important step forward for the international conservation breeding efforts that are working to prevent this iconic animal from disappearing forever.”
The tropical forests of Borneo – the only place on Earth where Bornean orangutans are found in the wild – have suffered devastating losses in recent decades, with more than 40% lost since the year 2000 due to unsustainable palm oil production, logging, agricultural expansion, poaching and illegal hunting.
Bornean orangutans are one of three orangutan species, all of which are critically endangered. Chester Zoo is the only zoo in the UK to care for two of them – the Sumatran and Bornean orangutan.
