Endangered Sumatran orangutan gives birth at Saigon amusement park

After nine months of pregnancy, the Sumatran orangutan gave birth to a healthy 30-centimeter, 1.5-kilogram female on Thursday last week.

It was the mother’s second child born in captivity in eight years.

Veterinarian Pham Tong Quoc Cuong, leader of the animal management team at Dam Sen Park, said the baby was born at 1:16 pm.

Park directors are asking the public to suggest names for the newborn orangutan.

At a week old, the baby orangutan is in good health and being breastfed.

The 30-year-old mother, who has been kept at Dam Sen Park since 1990, now weighs 45 kilograms and measures about 90 centimeters tall.

Earlier, in 2012, the Sumatran orangutan gave birth to a male baby weighing about 1.7 kilograms.

At present, the healthy male orangutan is eight years old and weighs 20 kilograms.

The Sumatran orangutan has been considered as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2000.

IUCN regards the animal as one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates.

The Sumatran orangutan is also one of the closest relatives to human beings.

Sumatran orangutans are mainly found on Sumatra and Borneo Islands in Indonesia.

Male adult Sumatran orangutans can grow to about 1.7 meters tall and weigh up to 90 kilograms while females are smaller, averaging 90 centimeters and 45 kilograms.

There are a total of six Sumatran orangutans being raised in captivity in Vietnam, four of which are being raised at Dam Sen Park including two males and two females.

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