The Audubon Nature Institute is thrilled to announce the birth of a new Sumatran orangutan. The infant is mothered by Feliz, the matriarch of the orangutan community at Audubon Zoo. The fifth orangutan to enter Audubon's orangutan community, Feliz's second infant was born at 3:25am on July 17th. The infant's father is Jambi, a male orangutan who traveled from the Hannover Zoo in Germany to mate with Feliz.
Audubon is especially excited by the new infant, as Sumatran orangutans have been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered and threatened by extinction. There are less than 14,000 Sumatran orangutans living in the wild, so it is critical that institutions such as Audubon are committed to sustaining the species. The orangutans housed at Audubon are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival System, and the arrival of the fifth orangutan is no small feat in the name of conservation of the amazing species.
Before the infant is presented to zoo visitors, it is important, according to the Audubon Nature Institute, that Feliz and her baby bond in a more private setting.
