The purpose of this blog is for all of Ibu’s friends, the El
Paso Community, supporters of orangutans and new mommies to share and follow
her extraordinary and exciting pregnancy.
Ibu’s pregnancy is exciting because an orangutan birth could
be one of the most important conservation achievements in the history of the El
Paso Zoo. The El Paso Zoo has focused on Sumatran orangutan
conservation efforts as one of its top priorities over the past 10 years with support
from the El Paso Zoological Society Conservation Fund. Financial support has aided programs in Indonesia both rescuing and relocating
hundreds of injured, orphaned and displaced orangutans. The zoo has further expanded
its conservation efforts to include: a more targeted education programs; the
further development of our palm oil smart phone app, and; a partnership with
UTEP sending Zoo staff to Indonesia to assist with “hands on” orangutan
conservation. Having a pregnancy and possibly a birth takes the El Paso Zoo to
another level of positive conservation impact.
Ibu’s pregnancy is extraordinary because she is one of only
12 females in 27 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited
institutions with Sumatran orangutans with a breeding recommendation.
Maintaining a breeding population in accredited zoos is an integral component
to species’ future survival due to the pressure on wild populations. Likewise, while
female orangutans reach puberty at about eight years of age, an orangutan is
not ready for her own baby until she is in her mid-to-late teens. Orangutan
babies nurse until about 6 years of age. Also, orangutans only give birth about
every eight years – the longest time between births of any mammal on earth –
resulting in only four or five births in a lifetime. Many conservationists predict that if any of the five species of great
apes become extinct in the wild during this century it will be the Sumatran
orangutan. The wild population has declined dramatically by over 50 percent
during the past few decades, with an estimated wild population of only 7,300.
This blog will
track her medical progress, journey to birth, steps for mommy and baby
preparedness, exclusive photos and footage of the expecting parents and new
baby (including sonogram pictures!) as well as information about Sumatran
orangutans worldwide.
