NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The wait is over, as Audubon Zoo’s critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, Menari, gave birth to a healthy male on Friday.
The highly-anticipated arrival of the baby primate was bittersweet as the first-time mother ape gave birth to twins and unfortunately the second infant did not survive.
A female orangutan named Madu was born at the zoo on Feb. 28.
There are currently fewer than 14,000 Sumatran orangutans living in the wild.
Menari and the surviving infant are being kept out of the public eye to allow the Zoo’s veterinary and primate team to care for them.
According to a tweet released by the Audubon Nature Institute, the zoo’s care team is currently “hand-rearing and bottle-feeding the infant due to Menari not adequately lactating.”
The tweet goes on to say that the baby is gaining strength and is very active.