It’s a BABY Shower!

Celebrate Mother’s Day with El Paso’s newest animal mommy

EL PASO, Texas – The community is invited to celebrate the El Paso Zoo’s newest animal mommy with their mommies on Mother’s Day.

The El Paso Zoo will shower orangutan mom Ibu and dad Butch with love from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, 2015. The shower will include games, interactive booths, special animal enrichment, and more. Butch will be on exhibit during the shower. Ibu and their baby, born at the zoo on April 23, will not be on exhibit to allow mom and baby more time to bond. Visitors will get to see exclusive photos of the pair on Sunday.

Members of the community will be able to vote for their favorite name for Ibu and Butch’s baby at the shower. Ibu's keepers have chosen four of their favorite names. They are asking for the community's help to narrow it down to the top two names. The selected baby names are:

•  Pohon: Indonesian, meaning tree
•  Eko: Indonesian, meaning first born
•  Moki: Ancient Southwest Pueblo, meaning step (as in a positive step for orangutan conservation)
• Khaleesi: Meaning queen (from the fictional Dorhraki language in the “Game of Thrones” series)

The lions, elephants, meerkats, sun bear and spider monkeys will also be voting on baby names using pinata enrichment at Sunday’s shower. Animal enrichment is provided to animals to provide mental and physical stimulation in their daily lives. Community members who cannot attend the Mother’s Day shower will be able to vote at elpasozoo.org/babyshower beginning May 11. On Father’s Day, Butch will pick between the top two vote-getters.

Baby orangutans are completely dependent on their mothers until they are about 8 years old, so this is a crucial time for Ibu and her baby. Ibu and their baby, born at the zoo on April 23, will not be on exhibit to allow mom and baby more time to bond. Visitors will get to see exclusive photos of the pair on Sunday.

To help celebrate the newest addition to the orangutan family, people may donate needed items from the baby registry list at https://babyli.st/ibu-and-butch or www.elpasozoo.org/babyshower.

Ibu’s Baby Shower is being held in conjunction with the international M.O.M. (Missing Orangutan Mothers) event. The birth of a Sumatran orangutan at the El Paso Zoo could be one of the most important conservation achievements in the history of the Zoo. The El Paso Zoo has focused on Sumatran orangutan conservation efforts with support from the El Paso Zoological Society Conservation Fund for more than 10 years. This includes supporting programs in Indonesia that rescue and relocate hundreds of injured, orphaned and displaced orangutans.

Locally recognized as the Best Place to Take the Kiddos, the El Paso Zoo sits on 35 acres of fun and adventure. Bigger and better than ever, the El Paso Zoo is an expansive green space that is home to exotic animals from around the world and features family attractions such as the African Star train, the Hunt Family Desert Spring, and the Foster Tree House Playground. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the El Paso Zoo celebrates the value of animals and natural resources and creates opportunities for people to rediscover their connection to nature.