CHICAGO — A 2-week-old baby orangutan has made her debut at suburban Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo.
Zoo officials said the unnamed female Bornean orangutan was born Dec. 20 to 35-year-old Sophia and father Ben. She made her first public appearance Tuesday at the zoo’s Tropic World: Asia habitat. Zoo officials said she can be seen most mornings, continuously clinging to her mother.
Bill Zeigler, who is senior vice president of animal programs for the Chicago Zoological Society, which runs the zoo, called the birth “significant to the zoo population.” He said hopefully it “will help raise awareness about the threats facing orangutans in the wild.”
Orangutans are considered critically endangered species. The Brookfield Zoo said currently 94 Bornean orangutans and 87 Sumatran orangutans live in North American zoos.
