Here’s a bit of heartwarming animal news coming from Taman Safari Bogor in West Java, as the zoo and conservation site has recently welcomed a female baby orangutan named Fitri.
Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar named the ape Fitri as she was born during the festivities of Eid al-Fitr, which fell on May 24. Fitri was born to Evi and Ipung, a pair of Bornean orangutans that reportedly mated in early September of last year.
“[She was] given the name by Madam Minister Siti Nurbaya. The time of her birth was right on the second day of Eid al-Fitr, May 25, that’s why she’s named ‘Fitri,’” Taman Safari Indonesia’s director Jansen Manansang said yesterday.
TSI said Fitri was born at 5am on Monday and weighed three kilograms at birth.
Though Taman Safari Bogor has been temporarily closed due to COVID-19, Fitri is the latest addition of animal newborns at the site, as it recently welcomed 12 baby komodo dragons, one nuri kabare (dracula or pesquet’s parrot), two zebra foals, and an elephant calf named Covid, among others.
One of the orangutan caretakers, identified as Basuki, said Fitri is the 16th addition of the great apes at Taman Safari Bogor. Other than bananas, Basuki said the orangutans are fed other types of fruits and vegetables, including apples, salak, mangoes, and spinach.
According to Basuki, visitors will only get to see Fitri after she turns three, during which time she shouldn’t have trouble breastfeeding.
The Bornean orangutan, also known by its scientific name Pongo pygmaeus, is a critically endangered species, with a population of around 100,000 worldwide, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Their habitat has been reduced by at least 55% over the past two decades, mostly due to palm and other agricultural plantations.
Also Read — Officials say Bali zoos being closely monitored as concerns rise over animals going hungry
Reader Interactions