LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — According to the Little Rock Zoo, a female Northwest Bornean orangutan was born July 28 to Berani and Bandar.
This is the first infant born to Berani and the fifth born to Bandar.
You can see the newborn orangutan in the great ape habitat with Berani. She carries the baby with her while she’s outside, but does often shield the baby from public view by turning her back.
Native to the Borneo, Northwest Bornean orangutans are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning there is a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future. Their vulnerability is mainly caused by habitat loss and fragmentation of their home. It is estimated that between forty-five and sixty-nine thousand (45,000 and 69,000) Northwest Bornean orangutans remain in the wild.