TAMPA (WFLA) – A new addition has arrived at ZooTampa at Lowry Park with the birth of a male Bornean orangutan. The yet-to-be-named baby was born on Nov. 15 to first-time mom Randee.
He is the Zoo’s eleventh offspring and a significant addition for the species which has seen a population decline of more than 50 percent during the last 60 years due to deforestation caused by unsustainable palm oil farming.
Like humans, baby apes are born completely dependent on their mothers, with maternal care continuing for many years.
Bornean orangutans are considered critically endangered by the World Wild Fund for Nature.