(FORT WAYNE) - The Fort Wayne Zoo has announced the birth of a baby Sumatran orangutan, a significant development for a species listed as critically endangered.
The infant, named Raya, was born Jan. 11 to 30-year-old mother Tara. Tara has lived at the zoo since 2003. The baby's father, Tengku, 39, has been at the Fort Wayne Zoo since 1995.
Zoo officials said the birth represents an important contribution to conservation efforts for Sumatran orangutans, which face ongoing threats from habitat loss and environmental pressures in the wild.
Raya's birth is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, a national breeding program designed to maintain genetically healthy populations of endangered species in accredited zoos.
Zoo staff report that both mother and baby are doing well.