Como Zoo welcomes baby orangutan

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IOC2_15BabyOrang The baby orangutan born at Como Zoo in January will be given one of three names at its “baby shower” Feb. 14-16. The three name choices are: Aanjay (pronounced On-jay) meaning unconquerable; Cinta (pronounced Chin-tah) meaning love; or Kemala (pronounced Key-mala) meaning magic stone.[/caption]

Como Zoo announced the birth, via Caesarean section, of a female orangutan in January. Markisa, a 27 year-old Sumatran Orangutan, gave birth to a female infant weighing a healthy, 3.45 pounds on Jan. 7. The newborn was delivered at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center by Dr. Micky Trent, DVM, Veterinary Medical Center Surgeon and lead veterinarian for Como Zoo, with the consultation of an extensive pre-appointed medical team comprised of human obstetricians, neonatologists, and veterinary anesthesiologists.

This is Markisa’s second required C-section. “C-sections are very rare in that there are only about a dozen recorded within the more than 1,200 international captive births,” said Como Zoo primate keeper Megan Elder.

This is a very important birth both for Como and for the species. Markisa was recommended for breeding by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Orangutan Species Survival Plan (SSP) because of her status as one of the most genetically valuable female Sumatran orangutans in North America.

The delivery was attended by an assemblage of experts in human maternal health and consultant veterinarians from the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center and the University of Minnesota Fairview Medical Center. Many of these individuals have been prepping for weeks for this procedure and several (Yasuko Yamamura, MD and Kirk Ramin, MD) consulted on Markisa’s last C-section. These included an obstetrical team of 14-16 individuals including professionals from the human and animal neonatal intensive care units, human maternal-fetal medicine, veterinary surgeons, veterinary technicians, veterinary anesthesiologists, a nutritionist, and a biosecurity supervisor.

The baby is now bonding and resting comfortably in the arms of her mother, Markisa. Now the baby just needs a name, and the zoo is expected to announce the name at a “Baby Shower Weekend” on Feb. 14-16.

About 200 orangutans are currently on exhibit in zoos throughout the U.S. Their native population, found primarily in Sumatra and Borneo, has dwindled due to commercial logging, agriculture, hunting and poaching –all of which put the species under the threat of extinction.

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