Birth of baby SE Asia orangutan brings festive cheer to Chester Zoo

LONDON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- An extremely rare baby orangutan has given keepers at Chester Zoo the perfect Christmas present.

The baby was born Monday, with zoo staff capturing the first precious moments of mom cuddling her new arrival.

Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered in the wild, which means the new arrival is a welcome boost to the international endangered species breeding program.

"Orangutans have been pushed to the edge of extinction in Southeast Asia as their rainforest home is destroyed to make way for unsustainable oil palm plantations," said a spokesman at Chester Zoo.

The tiny Sumatran orangutan was delivered safely by mum Emma, aged 30, after an eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy.

The baby is a major success story for the acclaimed international breeding program for the highly threatened species. Sumatran orangutans are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature with fewer than 6,500 estimated to be left in the wild.

Nick Davis, the zoo's deputy curator of mammals, said: "It is very early days, but the baby looks very healthy and is bonding well with mom in these precious first few hours. It is wonderful to have a tiny new infant in our family of stunning Sumatran orangutans.

"It's now important that this fantastic new arrival helps draw some much needed attention to the species. The Sumatran orangutan is under enormous pressure in the wild and, without urgent conservation work, it could tragically become the first great ape lost forever. We can't allow that to happen."

Mike Jordan, Chester Zoo's collections director, added: "Conservation is critical and we are right now fighting for these amazing animals in South East Asia - helping field workers in Borneo to restore depleted forests and supporting education work in schools and communities where the species occur."

Chester Zoo is leading the way on a major campaign to make Chester the world's first 'Sustainable Palm Oil City.' Zoo conservationists are working with restaurants, cafes, hotels, fast food outlets, schools and workplaces in the city to introduce sustainable palm oil policies into their supply chain. The aim is to increase the use of palm oil that is produced sustainably and help to protect the rainforests and the wide range of species that live in them in Southeast Asia. Enditem.

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