New Baby Orangutan at Saint Louis Zoo

There’s a new ape in town at the Saint Louis Zoo!
Baby Forest is a Sumatran Orangutan born on December 22nd, 2023.
Orangutans are critically endangered so the birth of an orangutan is a really big deal. Females only have about three to four infants throughout their lifetime and the world population is critically endangered.
Forest’s mother Rubih is a first time mom. Keepers weren’t exactly sure how well she would take to motherhood. So, they gave Rubih a little coaching ahead of time. Using positive reinforcement they trained Rubih to help with her own health and wellness by doing things like using a fetal ultrasound during her pregnancy to make sure the baby was healthy.
The keepers also used a plush toy to mimic a baby during Rubih’s pregnancy and trained her to hold its head when she picked it up, how to cradle it to her chest for nursing and also to transfer the baby into a special carrier in case the baby needed any medical attention.
*Helen Boostrom
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[@mesaeddie]

My favorite Zoo when I was a kid . I even saw Marlin Perkins drive by in a golf cart. I had seen enough of his programs to recognize him right away . Such an incredible place.

[@Ultimate_Sin-ry9iw]

Alpha male orangutans are some of the coolest animals.

[@vjc2270]

Awwwwww❣️ Congratulations, Saint Louis Zoo. ❤ Looks like Mama and Baby are doing great. 🥰

[@jeanneblondewomanstamping9788]

What a sweet, gentle mom. Good going with the pre-birth training to give her a little help in baby care/handling. 😊

[@margo3367]

Beautiful❤

[@pamcunningham9608]

Seems like just yesterday Rubih was destroying all the glass in her enclosure. Now she's a mom, how time flies! Welcome, baby Forest!

[@serunismt]

Why did Rubih destroy the glasses ?

[@pamcunningham9608]

@@serunismt She was just young and rambunctious, and orangutans are very, very good at figuring things out. She discovered that she could pick up rocks inside her enclosure and bang them against the glass until it broke! It was a fun game for her, but it cost almost a quarter of a million dollars to replace the glass.

[@serunismt]

@pamcunningham9608 could that be she didn't like behind the glass and people watching her. I think that's the trademark of Orang Utan, solitary. Was she borne wild or captivated ?

[@pamcunningham9608]

@serunismt She was captive born and raised by her mother. There is actually a lot of room for the orangs to move to that are out of line of sight of visitors. But Rubih was an active, intelligent, inquisitive little girl, and she learned that banging on the glass got her lots of attention.

[@suzmaca650]

Wonderful

[@consuelopando9414]

Gracias Zoológico Sant Louis por el cuidado de esos bellos pelirrojos parecen humanos amamantan y cuidan como mamas humanas gracias por el personal que con gran empatia y dedicación cuidan la especie para preservarla bello video 100pt

[@yomama8873]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@bantehayes9973]

I live in Saint Louis. I didn't know the zoo here had orangutans.

[@mortalclown3812]

Seeing the video of the orangutan in the decimated forest was 💔

[@eddiemaurique5824]

Malaysia 🇲🇾

[@cherie623]

Instinct.. I don't think you have to show her how to hold her baby 🙄

[@magnummccormack8968]

Reinforcing what she already knows won’t hurt

[@bobdziak9979]

MORE TIME SPENT ON PALM OIL THEN THE BABY ORANGUTAN.......I WANTED TO SEE THE BABY!!

[@myprophet1]

"Critical to the population." Critical to the "captive zoo" population.

[@hagbagslayer5799]

❤❤❤