New baby greeted with joy and sadness

Excitement was in the air when the zoo announced in September that Sayang, our 22-year-old Sumatran orangutan, was pregnant. But that excitement turned to sadness—tinged with joy—when Sayang died shortly after giving birth to a healthy baby boy on October 22.

“For our staff and the people who work with the orangutans every day, this is a huge loss,” said Zoo Director Jim Anderson. “But I’m very proud of our staff, who worked so hard to prepare for this birth.”

Sayang delivered her baby with no complications. “There was no need to assist her in any way,” said Animal Curator Mark Weldon. In the wild, orangutans are solitary animals, and females give birth alone in the rain forest. For safety reasons, zoo keepers never enter any enclosure with the orangutans.

Once the baby arrived, “Sayang did everything perfectly. She cleaned the baby and held it in her arms,” said Zoo Veterinarian Joe Smith. But about an hour after the delivery, Sayang suddenly collapsed. Efforts to revive Sayang with CPR and a defibrillator were unsuccessful. As of press time, the cause of Sayang’s sudden death was not known.

The baby, which is the first orangutan ever born at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, is receiving around-the-clock care from zoo keepers. He is given a bottle with formula every two-and-a-half to three hours. “So far, he is eating well,” says Smith. “He’s a good-sized baby.”

Even so, the baby remains in guarded condition. “Hand-rearing exotic animals is not an exact science,” Weldon said. “We won’t be out of the woods for several weeks.” The baby has not yet been named.

Weldon and his staff aren’t sure yet if or when the baby will join his father, Tengku, and Melati, a female orangutan, in the exhibit.

Visit www.kidszoo.org for a photo gallery of baby pictures and videos