Philadelphia Zoo Orangutan and Baby Meet the Press (Video 1)

The press was there to see Tua and her baby, to ask questions, and to take photos. PECO was there to mark its tenth anniversary of partnering with the Zoo to create and maintain PECO Primate Reserve, and to present the Zoo with a new Energy Star washer in honor of the first birth of a baby orangutan at the Philadelphia Zoo in 17 years.

And Tua did exactly what everyone was hoping she would do - held her baby close to her, looked for the good things to eat that were spread around in the exhibit area, then settled down to nurse her baby and take a nap in the nice clean blankets the Zoo provides for her to nestle in.

The Zoo has had a long and successful history of breeding and caring for orangutans. In the 1920's, the Philadelphia Zoo was the first zoo in the U.S. to successfully breed orangutans, and it holds the longevity records for orangutans born in U.S. zoos (50+ years).

Now, the Zoo is very much focused on conservation efforts, and Tua is the perfect ambassador for her endangered relatives in the wild. Anyone who observes this first-time mother taking such wonderful care of her baby can't help but love her, and want to help save all the orangutans living in Sumatra and Borneo whose lives aren't so wonderful as hers.

Visit the Philadelphia Zoo's website to learn more about the Zoo's orangutan conservation efforts and how and what you can do to help.

http://www.philadelphiazoo.org

and

http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/getdoc/4c0de77d-beb0-4308-86b9-2ec806c49f11/.htm

You can see the other video I recorded the same day here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb81m82flGI

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Philadelphia Zoo
• zoos
• orangutan
• PECO Primate Reserve
• Primate Reserve
• primates
• endangered
• Sumatran
• Borneo
• November
• press conference
• 2009
• Thursday
• autumn
• debut
• baby
• Tua

[ylerspina]

@zoovisitormm yesterday the dad smashed the glass again and peco closed i was there he throw a rock a it

[ZooVisitorMM]

@ylerspina Oh, my! When I saw that shattered glass, I said to my friend that it must have really been scary to see that happen in person. Are you sure it was the father, Sugi, who smashed the glass? I thought it was Tua (the mother). She is the one who occasionally has temper tantrums. Either way, I wish I had been recording a video at the time so I could try to determine why it happened.

[ylerspina]

@ZooVisitorMM yea it was sugi, the mother was with the baby and he throw it i guess there was alot of poeple there and he didnt like it. It wasnt the first time he did this but this time i was there to see it, my sister works at the zoo and was the one too call the poeple to come down. Alot of poeple just ran away but me and my sister just stand there and didnt know what too do. I think sugi likes poeple geting scared and thinks its funny because he just stood there too whe he did it.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@ylerspina Wow! Thanks for all the information. I don't think Sugi has a violent temperament, so I think you are right that he just enjoys the reaction of the crowd. Or maybe even the sound or look of the glass shattering. It's good that your sister saw the whole thing so she could tell the other Zoo staff exactly what happened. I'm glad you weren't injured or too scared by the incident, too!

[flonieallen]

This is a wonderful video. Tua is so endearing with her baby. I haven't been to the zoo in a while but this video has shown me that I'm missing out on some wonderful happenings. I think I would like to see Tua and her baby up close.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@Calikola I am glad you visited the Zoo and saw and appreciated that kind of a wonderful sight. Not only does the Zoo provide a safe, healthy, and mentally-stimulating environment for Tua and her baby, but it also provides a special place for visitors to go to experience wonders like seeing a mother and baby orangutan up close without putting themselves in danger or upsetting the orangutans.

[Calikola]

@ZooVisitorMM I was at the zoo yesterday and the mother was swinging around on the ropes with her baby latched onto her side. It was very cool to watch.

[ZooVisitorMM]

This orangutan family, including the sweet little female baby, is living a safe and healthy life, with plenty of enrichment items and activities to keep them all mentally curious and physically active.

Unlike in the wild, where males live separately from females with offspring, these three are able to live peacefully as a family.

And whatever Vik Dewan's salary is, he deserves at least that much for what he has accomplished in the three years he has been President and CEO of the Zoo.

[rowanmorrison]

So sad. Another exotic animal born for display in a plexiglass cell. Bet this little guy will bring in big bucks, though - which is important when you need to fund inflated salaries like that of Philly Zoo director, Vik Dewan - $328,000 for his first year in the job.

[ZooVisitorMM]

Thank you!

It really is so wonderful to be able to witness a sight like this up close in real life.

I hope you will start visiting the Zoo often. I have been visiting at least twice a week lately, and each time I visit, I see something I am so glad I didn't miss seeing.