Como Zoo Welcomes Baby Orangutan

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Como Zoo welcomed a female baby orangutan on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Zoo officials said the orangutan weighed 3.45 pounds and was born by Caesarean section.

This was the second C-section for the mother, 27-year-old Markisa.

According to the zoo, C-sections are very rare for orangutans.

"C-sections are very rare in that there are only about a dozen recorded within the International Orangutan Studbook that has tracked more than 1,200 births in captivity throughout history," Como Zoo primate keeper Megan Elder said in a recent press release.

The zoo said this was a very important birth for them and for the species.

Markisa was recommended for breeding due to her status as one of the most genetically valuable female Sumatran orangutans in North America.

Markisa is back at Como Zoo recovering and the infant is currently in an ICU unit at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center.

She is expected to return to the zoo within a day or two.