Pregnant orangutan is given a breastfeeding masterclass from 30 women in unusual maternal workshop

Dublin Zoo has a new resident: 19-year-old orangutan Mujur has given birth to an adorable male calf.

Mujur previously gave birth to two babies, in 2019 and 2022, but struggled with breastfeeding. Both children died shortly after birth.

In preparation for the birth of this newborn, Dublin Zoo enlisted the help of 30 breastfeeding mothers who took part in a special workshop for mothers.

Nora Murphy, an expectant mother from Rathfarnham, Dublin, jumped at the chance to get involved in the project.

‘Breastfeeding worked for me, but I know that’s not always the case for other women. I felt like I was passing a torch [to Mujur]’, she said The Irish Times.

Dublin Zoo has a new resident after 19-year-old orangutan, Mujur, gave birth to an adorable male cub

The child was born on July 31 and was the father of Sibu, a baby boy who sadly passed away in February.

‘Orangutans are a critically endangered species. Females typically only give birth once every three to five years, one at a time, so this birth is of great importance,’ Dublin Zoo explains.

‘Sibu’s genetic profile is considered extremely important to the European orangutan breeding programme and the entire team at Dublin Zoo is delighted that his legacy will live on through this cub.’

Mujur’s previous offspring lacked the necessary maternal qualities for survival, including breastfeeding and transporting animals.

‘For the first three years of an orangutan’s life, it is completely dependent on its mother for food and transport,’ Dublin Zoo explains.

‘They cling to their mother as she moves and drink her breast milk.

‘This means that maternal qualities are absolutely essential for the baby’s well-being.’

The child was born on July 31 and was fathered by Sibu (pictured), a man who sadly passed away in February

Unfortunately, while Mujur was trying to feed her baby, she did not put him in the correct position for feeding and it was decided that the caregivers would have to bottle feed him.

In preparation for the birth of her youngest child, Dublin Zoo put out a call for volunteers from breastfeeding groups in and around Dublin.

Thirty women enrolled and breastfed their babies in Mujur’s presence in the months leading up to birth.

According to Dublin Zoo, Mujur was “extremely interested” in observing the females.

Mrs Murphy, who has a 10-month-old daughter, Elodi, explained: ‘You find yourself cheering for her [Mujur].

“You go from being a mother yourself to trying to help a mother-to-be.

“You would say to her, ‘Look, this is what you have to do.’

“She would stare at you and really watch what you were doing. She would hold out her hands as time passed, which was magical.”

The zoo’s keepers are now caring for the cub before he moves to Monkey World, a monkey sanctuary in Dorset.

Mujur tried to feed her baby, but unfortunately she did not put him in the right position to drink, so the caretakers decided to bottle feed him.

“In line with international best practice, we generally do not intervene in these types of situations to ensure conditions are as close to natural as possible,” Dublin Zoo explains.

‘However, given the importance of this baby and the genetic profile he inherited from his father Sibu, the difficult decision was made to separate the baby from Mujur and bottle feed him.’

Keepers are now caring for the cub before he is transferred to Monkey World, a monkey sanctuary in Dorset.

“The animal will continue to be cared for by the Dublin Zoo animal care team for a few more weeks before it can be moved to its new home,” the team added.

“The whole team has fallen madly in love with him and it will be difficult to say goodbye to him. However, we are confident that he will be sent to the best possible place so that he can continue to develop and flourish.”