Copycat! Orangutan at Virginia Zoo finally learns how to care for her new baby – after a breastfeeding zookeeper shows her exactly how it’s done
- Orangutan Zoe is a long-term resident at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia
- The primate struggled to get to grips with feeding her newborn baby
- Whitlee Turner, who was breastfeeding her own new addition, decided to intervene
An orangutan finally learned how to feed her baby after a nursing zookeeper showed her how to do it.
Zoe, a long-term resident at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley, Virginia, hadn’t learned the skill from her own mother after being orphaned at just nine months old.
Her firstborn had to be hand-reared, and after the birth of her second in December, the mother-of-two was still struggling to master the process.
But zookeeper Whitlee Turner, who was breastfeeding her own new addition, decided to step in and gave Zoe a live demonstration — and less than 24 hours later, the orangutan was doing it herself.
Orangutan Zoe finally learned how to feed her baby after a breastfeeding zookeeper showed her how to do it
Zookeeper Whitlee Turner, who was breastfeeding her own new addition, decided to step in and gave Zoe a live demonstration
Whitlee said she was happy to be able to help a fellow mom
Whitlee was asked to look after baby boy Caleb for Zoe’s stay in an effort to encourage the orangutan to follow suit.
Speaking of the experience, Whitlee said, “I just had my nursing bra on and I was able to show it off [Zoe] all without any modesty.
“I wanted her to see the whole process, because orangutans don’t wear shirts.
“I wanted her to be able to see my breasts and see Caleb and see him rooting and looking for it and the bolt.
With my bra down, I was very exaggerated when I put it on like that [Zoe] could see the baby going here.
“All the time I was talking to her and pointing at her, pointing at the baby, pointing at her breasts.
“And when Caleb got tied up, I showed her, just to make sure she saw the important part.
She kept looking at me curiously the whole time. She didn’t breastfeed her baby right away, but she was definitely watching the whole time.”
And less than a day later, Zoe had successfully started breastfeeding – much to the delight of her caretakers.
Whitlee was asked to look after baby son Caleb for Zoe’s stay in an effort to encourage the orangutan to follow suit
Less than a day later, Zoe had successfully started breastfeeding – much to the delight of her caregivers
The zoo has said that Zoe and her baby, who has not yet been named, are both healthy and close
Reflecting on the process, Whitlee added, “I had a really hard time as a new mom at first with my breastfeeding journey.
‘[I] needed a lot of guidance and help before we really figured it out. I thought it was very special to be able to share this with you [Zoe] and help her on her journey.
“Whether it was an orangutan or a human, I just want to be able to help any new mother.”
The zoo has said that Zoe and her baby, who has not yet been named, are both healthy and close.
Orangutans are currently classified as a critically endangered species.
The species has one extremely low reproductive rate making their populations highly vulnerable.
Females give birth to one baby at a time about every six to seven years, so it can take a long time to recover from the population decline.