Sirih, the Female Orangutan in Indy Zoo is Expecting!
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One of the best news ever! Isn't cute?! Sirih is expecting a baby this is absolutely one of the best news for this week. Please take good care of her!
Ultrasound: Look who's expecting at Indy Zoo
By: Shari Rudavsky | Source: http://www.indystar.com
Sirih, one of the Indianapolis Zoo’s female orangutans, is in the family way.
Assuming all goes well, a baby orangutan will join the nine residents of the zoo’s Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center some time in the spring, zoo officials announced Wednesday.
He or she will be the first orangutan born in Indianapolis. The zoo usually waits until an animal is born to make an announcement. But the first orangutan to be born in Indianapolis is a big deal, so zoo officials decided to go public with the latest addition to its $26 million orangutan center.
Mother-to-be Sirih, 22 years old, moved to the zoo this summer for, well, a hookup.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan Program, which oversees the reproduction of endangered species in captivity, had recommended that Sirih and the father, Basan, procreate. Each of the parents is a full Sumatran orangutan.
"That's what drove the whole decision," said Rob Shumaker, the zoo's vice president of conservation and life sciences.
Once Sirih was out of quarantine, she met Basan, 14 years old, and the two hit it off instantly.
Zoo officials deliberately held off introducing Sirih to Azy and Charlie — two older, more dominant males who are not full Sumatran orangutans — because they feared that if she met them first, she would lose interest in Basan, who is still not fully mature.
"In the wild, females would not find him to be the best choice," Shumaker. "And the most important thing to remember is that females make the decision about who they want to mate with."
Within just a few weeks, it became apparent to the zoo keepers that their plans had succeeded. When a female orangutan is pregnant, long before she has a baby bump she exhibits changes in her genitalia that signal she is expecting.
Orangutans have a gestation period of about nine months, similar to humans. Eventually, zoo visitors may be able to detect Sirih's baby bump and breast development.
During the next few months, little will change in Sirih's life, though she'll undergo regular ultrasounds and have a little more food available now that she is eating for two. Even with the frequent ultrasounds, it's unlikely the baby's sex will be known until he or she is born.
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