Cameron Park Zoo orangutan Mei is pregnant and due this winter.
After attaining a positive pregnancy test in June 2016, animal care staff at Cameron Park Zoo are carefully monitoring Mei throughout her 8.5 month gestation period. Mei is trained to participate in ultrasounds and exams.
This will be the second baby for Mai and father, KJ, after their first, Batari, died at 6.5 months from acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage. According to Cameron Park Zoo, the pair were excellent parents to Batari, but zookeepers are refreshing Mei and KJ’s parenting skills by training behaviors such as presenting the baby for exams and breast pump training for Mei.
This week Cameron Park Zoo is celebrating Orangutan Caring Week to raise awareness about wild orangutans and the dangers they face in their rainforest homes. Captive born orangutans, such as Mei and KJ, serve as ambassadors and the news of their pregnancy is good for the cause.
Recently, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has downgraded the status of the Bornean orangutan from “endangered” to “critically endangered”.
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