Information on Baby Orangutans
Orangutans are an endangered species (due to poaching and habitat loss) of great ape living on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. According to "National Geographic," orangutans have been known to live to 60 in captivity. They often do not reach half that age in the wild. Although an endangered species, many orangutan babies are sold as pets.
Vital Statistics
Newborn orangutan babies weigh about 3 pounds. They are born fully covered with hair, except on the face. Their eyes are open, and they can grasp. The mother will carry them everywhere for the baby's first year and then the baby will start to travel on its own. Mother and baby stay together closely until the age of four, when it begins to wander off for short excursions. The baby will not be weaned until it is about four years old.
Number
Orangutans have one baby at a time. The mother spends up to six years taking care of the baby and will not mate during this time. According to the Honolulu Zoo, no female with a baby less than four years old will mate, which is one reason why an adult male orangutan may kill a small baby---so the mother will go into heat. A female orangutan can only have three or four babies in her entire lifetime, which is one reason why the species is endangered.
Pet Trade
In order to get a baby orangutan to sell in the pet trade, the mother must be killed because she will not give up her baby willingly. According to the BBC News, this practice is illegal, but authorities rarely prosecute. Baby orangutans can bring thousands of dollars on the black market. However, when the babies grow bigger and stronger, these pets are surrendered to animal shelters.
Misconception
Orangutans do not instinctively know survive in the wild, no matter what their age. They need to be taught survive by their mothers. According to the Honolulu Zoo, in order for an orphaned baby orangutan to be released into the wild and have any chance at surviving, they need at least five years in a rehabilitation center.
Fun Fact
One baby male orangutan named Chantek was taught sign language from the age of nine months by anthropologist Lyn Miles. Chantek learned over 150 signs from 1978 to 1986. He first lived with Miles in her home and then, when he was eight, moved to the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and then was moved to the Atlanta Zoo in 1997.
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