Ask us a Question
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why does the Houston Zoo breed orangutans?
A: The Houston Zoo follows the breeding recommendations of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for orangutans. The SSP protocols are designed to ensure healthy offspring. In the wild, female orangutans give birth approximately every seven to ten years. The previous births at the Houston Zoo, both to mom Kelly – Luna in 1997 and Solaris in 2003 - closely simulate orangutan’s natural wild breeding behavior.
Q: Why is the baby being hand reared?
A: We were disappointed that Kelly did not raise her baby as we had hoped. However, we are very happy that Kelly and the baby are healthy. We’re also fortunate that we have a staff that is very experienced and accomplished in hand rearing newborns and reintroducing them to their mothers or to surrogate mothers.
Based on Kelly’s past behavior with her son Solaris, we had every reason to believe Kelly would accept and raise this baby. For 12 hours following the birth, Kelly gave the keeper staff every indication that she would. She unfortunately abandoned the infant later in the day. A physical exam confirmed that Kelly is healthy, but she refused repeated attempts to return the baby to her. Newborn orangutans are not at all unlike newborn humans – they cannot maintain their body temperature. We had a limited amount of time to make a decision and for the welfare of the baby we made the decision to hand rear the infant with the goal of reintroduction to another orangutan as quickly as possible.
Based on Kelly’s past behavior with her son Solaris, we had every reason to believe Kelly would accept and raise this baby. For 12 hours following the birth, Kelly gave the keeper staff every indication that she would. She unfortunately abandoned the infant later in the day. A physical exam confirmed that Kelly is healthy, but she refused repeated attempts to return the baby to her. Newborn orangutans are not at all unlike newborn humans – they cannot maintain their body temperature. We had a limited amount of time to make a decision and for the welfare of the baby we made the decision to hand rear the infant with the goal of reintroduction to another orangutan as quickly as possible.
Q: What is involved in hand rearing a baby orangutan?
A: The Houston Zoo is fortunate to have a pool of trained and experienced care givers who are focused on one common goal – ensuring the development of a healthy and independent adult orangutan. It is not a simple task. Baby orangutans spend their first year of life clinging to their mother and a full 7 years or more with their mothers. For this baby, hand rearing means she is clinging to her caretakers 24 hours a day 7 days a week until she is ready to move about on her own.
The hand rearing process is taking place in the orangutan night house at Wortham World of Primates in view of the Houston Zoo’s other orangutans where they can see her and she can see them. This is an important aspect of the process, since the goal of hand rearing the baby is to reintroduce her to her mom, Kelly or to Cheyenne, a proven surrogate mother who has successfully raised three infants, Luna, Kelly’s first baby, and Elok and Indah, orangutans born at another zoo.
Q: When could the baby be given back to Kelly or given to Cheyenne to raise?
A: The baby’s care givers will be watching for developmental milestones over a period of months that will indicate she is ready to make the transition. Climbing is the first behavior demonstrated by infant orangutans. So, the first milestone is showing an interest in her environment and exploring by reaching out.
The second milestone is independent locomotion. This behavior won’t occur until she demonstrates she is comfortable being away from her care giver and not constantly clinging to them. The Houston Zoo’s keeper staff will create a climbing structure from either bamboo or PVC pipe in a dimension appropriate for her size and grasping ability.
The second milestone is independent locomotion. This behavior won’t occur until she demonstrates she is comfortable being away from her care giver and not constantly clinging to them. The Houston Zoo’s keeper staff will create a climbing structure from either bamboo or PVC pipe in a dimension appropriate for her size and grasping ability.
We will also be closely monitoring Kelly and Cheyenne to gauge their interest in the baby, as their participation is critical to a successful introduction.
Orangutan infants typically nurse up to age 7 years. The third milestone will come when her care givers train her to take her bottle through the off-exhibit containment structure (mesh wall) of the orangutan night house. This is necessary so that when she is with an adult orangutan she will still be able to receive her infant formula.
Q: How do you know Kelly or Cheyenne will accept the baby?
A: Cheyenne is a proven surrogate mother and has shown interest in the baby. But we know from past experience that Cheyenne prefers to care for infants who are several months old and who are beginning to show some interest in independence and not always clinging to her.
Over the next several months, the baby’s care givers will observe and evaluate Kelly and her interest in the baby. Kelly has lived at the Houston Zoo for many years. She knows the keepers and they know her and Kelly communicates clearly with them.
Over the next several months, the baby’s care givers will observe and evaluate Kelly and her interest in the baby. Kelly has lived at the Houston Zoo for many years. She knows the keepers and they know her and Kelly communicates clearly with them.
Q: What is the baby’s diet?
A: The diet of an infant orangutan is not that different from an infant human. Kelly’s baby is being hand reared on a diet of human baby formula. The transition to other foods is also similar to the progression of a human baby. In a few months, the baby will be introduced to baby cereal and baby food. As she grows and matures, her care takers will introduce her to cooked vegetables and other items, gradually transitioning her to the same diet our other orangutans are fed.
