A zoo in Ireland had to get creative for one of their orangutans who has trouble bonding with her babies. The Dublin Zoo knew that 19-year-old Mujur hadn’t been able to nurse in the past. So they called in a group of 30 breastfeeding mothers, who showed the new mama the right way to connect with her little bub.
It really is cool when you think about it. Humans and orangutans are so different, but this story shows just how similar we are.
As The Guardian reports, zoo staff knew Mujur was going to have an issue after learning she was pregnant again. The orangutan hadn’t successfully bonded with past offspring. Those babies sadly died in 2019 and 2022, and naturally the zoo didn’t want to lose another orangutan baby.
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Orangutans are an endangered species, a press release from the zoo states. They only give birth to one offspring every three to five years, making Mujur’s pregnancy very important.
Surviving the delivery wasn’t the only concern. Orangutan babies depend on their mothers for the first three years of life and cling to their mothers to nurse while they move. It’s a crucial step in a baby’s development, meaning that they needed to teach Mujur how to breastfeed ASAP.
So zoo staff decided to try something different, The Guardian reports. They reached out to Lizzie Reeves for help. Reeves is a midwife and lactation specialist, who is part of the breastfeeding team at the National maternity hospital. She called upon about 30 women who are currently breastfeeding to come and demonstrate their technique to Mujur.
The zoo closed the orangutan enclosure off from the public, so that the women could take turns showing Mujur how to nurse with their own babies. And it seems like the animal took notice.
“Mujur was extremely interested in watching the women feed their babies through the glass, even mirroring some of their actions,” a press release from the zoo states. “Mujur was also shown videos of other orangutans feeding their babies as part of the learning experience.”
When Mujur gave birth to her baby boy on July 31, it was time to see if their hard work was going to pay off.
Ultimately it was somewhat of a success. She did show “good maternal care” towards her baby after giving birth — a welcomed change from past pregnancies. But she still wasn’t putting him in the right position to feed. Because it’s considered international best practices to not intervene, the zoo ultimately decided not to allow Mujur to continue to attempt to breastfeed, and instead decided to bottle feed him.
The baby will ultimately be transferred to Monkey World in Dorset, England, a 65-acre institution specifically for infants who are rejected by their mothers, where he will live and receive prolonged care.
“The infant will continue to be cared for by the Dublin Zoo animal care team for another few weeks, before making the trip to his new home,” the zoo said in their statement.
“The whole team has already fallen hopelessly in love with him,” they added, “and it will be difficult to say goodbye, however we are confident that he is being sent to the best possible place for him to continue to develop and thrive.”
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Source Agencies
