Imatge
Imatge
The baby was born in May and is in perfect health
Borneo orangutans are a highly threatened species, in critical danger as a result of deforestation in their natural habitat
Helping to improve biodiversity and raising awareness about it are priority areas in the new model for Barcelona Zoo
A new Borneo orangutan was born at Barcelona Zoo on 15 May. The baby is the third daughter of Jawi, a 25-year old orangutan who was also born at the Zoo. The baby is in perfect health and has already been seen clinging to its mother and breast feeding.
The father is Karl, the reproductive male among the group of Borneo orangutans at the Zoo. Karl is 25 years old and was born in Dublin. The new baby brings the number of orangutans in Barcelona Zoo to seven. This species is in critical danger in its natural habitat.
The species is highly threatened and its numbers are falling in its natural habitat
The new model for the Zoo aims to actively contribute to conservation, scientific research and dissemination of fauna and its natural habitats, with a special emphasis on Mediterranean fauna and species in danger of extinction, under sustainability criteria and always caring for the welfare of the animals. In this respect, the director of Barcelona Zoo, Antoni Alarcon, stressed the importance of the birth of the new Borneo orangutan, given that this is a highly endangered species in critical danger of extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“It’s great news bearing in mind Barcelona Zoo’s conscious effort to become a biodiversity preservation centre. Deforestation in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra caused by felling trees and the cultivation of palm oil means this species has suffered a significant decline. That’s why the role of Barcelona Zoo and other zoos is important within the Ex-situ conservation programmes by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Within a few years it’s very likely that orangutans born in captivity will need to be reintroduced on the islands of Indonesia”.
The European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) also celebrated the birth due to the conservation implications for the species, and because it will help make visitors to Barcelona Zoo more aware of the need to look after the natural habitat of all animals which are in severe danger of extinction as a result of human activity. In this respect, Alarcon noted that “the Barcelona Zoo Foundation works in conjunction with the Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) on conservation, awareness and education programmes among the local population in a bid to save this primate”.