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Twycross Zoo welcomes new cuddly orang-utan

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A cuddly new addition to Twycross Zoo has made its first appearance. The new orang-utan is staying close to its mum and keepers do not yet know its sex, but they said it was looking happy and healthy. It is the fourth child for 36-year-old mum Kibriah and was born on November 28. The zoo's head of life sciences, Dr Charlotte Macdonald, said: "Although Kibriah isn't a first time mum, this is her first baby in 12 years so we're all very pleased with how well she's doing. "She's very confident and relaxed with the infant, and enjoying plenty of rest." The baby's father is 24-year-old Batu, who has not yet been introduced to his new child. Dr Macdonald said: "Batu is a great father to Molly, our three-year-old orang-utan, so we expect the meeting to go very smoothly." The zoo is breeding the primates as part of the European Breeding Programme (EEP) of endangered apes. The Bornean orang-utan is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Redlist (IUCN), with fewer than 50,000 individuals remaining in the wild. The females only give birth about once every eight years and their numbers are dwindling because of deforestation in Indonesia. Dr Macdonald said: "Orang-utans are likely to be extinct in the wild within the next 20 years, so successful breeding is imperative if this ape is to continue to exist on this planet in the future." The new arrival is the third endangered great ape born at the zoo within the past 12 months. Lope, a baby gorilla, was born on January 3, and Mokonzi, a baby bonobo, was born on February 19.

Twycross Zoo welcomes new cuddly orang-utan


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