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Hesty: The Denver Zoo's New Addition
The past few months have seen a baby boom at the Denver Zoo. In June, a female sea lion pup arrived, and in May, endangered Amur tiger cubs were born in a private den. Back in April, the zoo welcomed a six-foot-four-inch, 170-pound female reticulated giraffe named Cricket. Now, a Sumatran orangutan infant, Hesty, is getting all the attention.
The first of her species born at the zoo in 25 years, Hesty's first two weeks were rough. Days after being born, on June 19, to zoo orangutans Mias and Nias, Hesty struggled and had to be placed in an incubator, where she remained until she could pull her bottle close on her own, writes 7News. By July 18, Hesty's birth weight had doubled, from 2.86 pounds to 4.4 pounds, and the next day, Hesty and Nias were reunited. Nias immediately cradled her baby.
"We prepared extensively for this birth. Nias is an amazing animal and is so intelligent. However, with this being her first infant, we weren't sure she would know exactly what to do," says the zoo's primate-area supervisor, Ronda Schwetz.
Zoo officials have not yet revealed when the public will be allowed to view Hesty, but they offer a peek in this video.
Comments
Submitted by Allen Nyhuis (not verified) on Sat, 2010-07-31 23:09.
Good things happening at the wonderful Denver Zoo -- baby giraffe and Hesty, the baby orangutan. I love this Zoo!
Allen Nyhuis, Coauthor: America's Best Zoos



