$$ Orangutan That Gave Birth Makes Abrupt Move With Baby That Confuses Keepers
A group of zoologists at England's Jersey Zoo put all their resources into helping along with the next generation of one primate family. They planned endlessly. They used all the best technology. And in the end, the delivery still sprung one big surprise that they never saw coming.
Dana's Challenge
Dana the orangutan was under a lot of pressure. It's not like she had a job or mortgage to pay off, but the future of her entire species was at stake, and their chances weren't looking too great.
Closely Monitored
Of course, Dana herself didn't have to worry. She and a handful of other orangutans lived in England's Jersey Zoo. They had everything they needed there, thanks to the inspiring vision of one man.
Gerald's Passion
Naturalist Gerald Durrell founded the conservation center in 1959. Though he designed it to house well over one hundred species, he always had a soft spot for orangutans. It was clear how much was at stake.
Threatened Species
Sumatran orangutans like Dana once thrived, covering a large region of the Indonesian islands. Since the dawn of globalization, however, their fortunes had turned considerably. Some feared it was already too late to save them.
Deforestation
Widespread destruction of their natural rain forest habitat, along with poaching operations, caused the orangutan population to plummet to just 7,500 worldwide. Although there are plenty of critically endangered species out there, this one is particularly troubling.
Human Relative
Orangutans are one of the closest genetic relatives to human beings, sharing over 97% of the same DNA. That means these are intelligent, emotional creatures that are in danger. Dana herself nearly died once before.
Brush with Death
Gordon Hunt, the Head Ape Keeper at the Jersey Zoo, remembered the incident like it was yesterday. Back in 2009, one of his most exciting days on the job suddenly morphed into a total nightmare.
High Hopes
Dana was pregnant, which sent the Jersey Zoo staff into hysterics. No baby orangutans had been born there in years. This potentially marked a turning point in the primates' trajectory — until everything went totally off the rails.
Stillbirth
As Dana went into labor, the zoo employees were horrified to see that it was a stillbirth. What made the situation even worse was that the orangutan was grappling with internal hemorrhaging. They rushed to save her.
Collateral Damage
Severe as the trauma was, Jersey Zoo managed to save Dana's life. The resulting damage unfortunately blocked her fallopian tubes. Gordon and his team doubted that she would ever be able to produce offspring.
A Celebrated Surgeon
But they knew they had to try. The zookeepers rang Dr. Neil MacLachlan, a renowned obstetrician from Jersey's General Hospital. He'd treated countless patients across his storied career, but Gordon asked if he'd ever operated on an orangutan before.
Similar Layout
As a matter of fact, Dr. MacLachlan figured that he could perform surgery on Dana. Her internal organs were nearly identical to those of a human, meaning that the procedure would involve all the same steps. They could only hope it reversed Dana's infertility.
Mating Dance
The gamble eventually paid off. By early 2013, Dana mated and began showing signs of pregnancy, proving that Dr. MacLachlan's operation was a success. Of course, this didn't guarantee that this pregnancy wouldn't end like the last.
Positive Signs
The Jersey Zoo staff kept a close eye on the orangutan in those following months. Meticulous medical tests and nonstop observation suggested that the baby was coming along just fine. All they could do was wait.
The Big Day
In the early hours of one November morning, a series of phone calls awoke the Jersey Zoo staff. Dana was going into labor. Despite the chill outside, they hurriedly got dressed to witness the historic event.
Live on Camera
In addition to fighting off extinction, the zookeepers had a chance to achieve a huge milestone. No orangutan birth was ever recorded before, so they planned to covertly film the entire delivery, Jane Goodall-style.
Lightning Speed
It was fortunate Gordon's team got the camera in place, because the entire thing happened remarkably fast. They gasped as the baby primate simply popped out, and Dana attentively cleaned him off. However, she did something unexpected next.
Charging Ahead
The mama orangutan turned directly toward the zookeepers. They froze. Was she threatened that they'd all watched such a vulnerable moment? They barely held their nerve as Dana rushed over toward the glass barrier to confront them.
Showing Off
But Gordon soon realized Dana wasn't angry at all. She was overjoyed and wanted to show her newborn son to her friends! They named him KeaJaiban, which translated to "miracle" in Indonesian.
Gratitude
KeaJaiban's birth alone wouldn't bring orangutans back from the brink, but he represented an important step in the right direction. The zookeepers' heroics made it all possible — though not every risk they've taken has paid off.
Strange Call
In October 2016 police contacted the BKSDA Nature Conservation Agency in Indonesia about the capture of a wild animal. It seemed that local villagers had found an orangutan and secured it to a tree. So, a team from the BKSDA, the Center for Orangutan Protection’s APE Crusaders and the Orangutan Foundation went to investigate.
Bad Shape
Unsurprisingly, when rescuers arrived on the scene in Central Kalimantan, they found the orangutan, which they named Rawit, in a bad way. In fact, the ropes used to tie her were so tight that they had cut off circulation to her limbs. Her hands and feet were also unnaturally swollen.
Stolen From The Wild
Furthermore, images of the incident show five-year-old Rawit looking extremely withdrawn. Indeed, her almost human-like expression portrayed a sense of great despair. The BKSDA team suspected that she may have been stolen from the wild with the purpose of selling her on to the illegal pet trade.
Losing Their Home
According to the Orangutan Foundation, an oil-palm forest and human settlements surrounded the young female’s natural habitat. In fact, the expanse of palm oil forests is one of the greatest threats to orangutan populations. While the product is Indonesia’s third largest export, it is estimated that the growth of this industry has contributed to an 80 percent loss of orangutan habitat in the last two decades.
Widely Threatened
However, palm oil isn’t the only threat orangutans face. Deforestation and hunting are also responsible for the decline of orangutan populations, as is the illegal pet trade. Sadly, figures from the Orangutan Conservancy suggest that there are only around 60,000 orangutans left in Borneo and Sumatra.
Illegal Animal Trade
Yes, humans often take young orangutans and sell them into the illegal animal trade. Mothers are heartlessly killed, too, before the poachers pull the infant orangutans away from their dead mothers’ bodies. In fact, a Center for Orangutan Protection and Nature Alert report found that as many as 20,000 orangutans have lost their lives or freedom to the illegal pet trade in the last decade.
Urgent Rescue
Often these little orangutans don’t recover from the trauma of losing their moms in such a horrific way. So, in addition to mental health issues, they are also at risk of physical harm from diseases and poor treatment during their captivity. Luckily for Rawit, then, rescue teams got to her just in time.
Time To Recover
The team released Rawit from her ropes and took her to an animal hospital where the injuries to her limbs could be attended to. Then, after a few days, the ape began to rebuild her strength. Staff constantly monitored her health, too, so that the best next step could be decided.
Soft Release
After a while, the foundation determined that Rawit was well enough to join its soft release program. This allows the animals to get used to their new habitat before being released for real. Hence, staff took Rawit to the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, where they’d watch over her until she could be fully released.
Safe Return
The Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve is home to a number of release sites and patrol posts to ensure orangutans remain safe following their release. The reserve also has a 1,600-foot buffer zone between its forest and the surrounding palm oil forest. Therefore, it’s an adequate space from which to release rehabilitated wildlife.
A Special Place
So, two weeks after her initial rescue, Rawit was cleared to be freed. Indeed, incredible footage of Rawit’s release showed how a boat took the orangutan to the ideal location. Once there, staff wheeled the caged animal deep into the forest foliage to the release area.
Making Friends
It was then that the dedicated team opened up Rawit’s cage to allow her to get used to her new environment in her own time. Luckily for her, an older female took the youngster under her wing. Interestingly, the Orangutan Foundation had previously reintroduced this older female into the wildlife reserve.
Free At Last
So, under the guidance of the more experienced female, Rawit soon assimilated back into forest life. In a video posted to YouTube, the primate scales trees and feasts on bananas – just like nature intended.
Famous Release Site
Wildlife photographer Ian Woods wrote a blog post about the experience. In it, he said, “Today I’ve been working with the veterinary team of the Orangutan Foundation U.K. who have successfully released another orangutan into Lamandau wildlife reserve in Borneo. This area of forest has been a release site for some years now with hundreds of orangutans rehabilitated there.”
Touching Welcome
“The way the older female orangutan in the video comes to help her when she’s finally released was so touching. She will now be monitored by field staff to check that she is thriving in her new found freedom,” Woods added.
Inspiring Others
Through YouTube and Facebook, the Orangutan Foundation has been spreading Rawit’s story to increase awareness of the plight of these majestic creatures. And, it seems, Rawit’s story has touched a nerve with many animal lovers.
Wildlife Is Wild
“This is disgusting. Why do some people treat… wildlife like this?” wrote one Facebook user. “Makes me very unhappy. Animals are meant to be free in the wild, just like we have the choice to be free,” the post continued.
Plague Destroyer
“When we learn to take care of the environment and to respect animals, we are an evolved species,” read another Facebook comment. “Until then, we will continue to be a plague destroyer.”
Raising Awareness
So, while no animal should have to endure the things Rawit went through, it is hoped that her story will raise awareness around the threats facing the orangutan population. Indeed, through education and compassion, hopefully more apes can be freed to live in the wild as nature intended. Only then will future generations of orangutans be safe from human harm.
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