Dublin Zoo enlists help of breastfeeding Mums to encourage orangutan to bond with newborn

Dublin Zoo enlisted the aid of a group of 30 women to demonstrate breastfeeding to a pregnant orangutan ahead of the birth of her third child.

On July 31, 19-year-old Mujur gave birth to a healthy male infant. It is Mujur’s third infant, having previously given birth in 2019 and 2022 who later died.

Dublin Zoo confirmed they were "so happy to see his legacy live on" as his genetic profile was "extremely important" for the Orangutan European breeding program.

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In the first three years of an orangutan’s life they are "completely dependent" on their mother for food and transportation — clinging to her while she moves and feeding on breastmilk.

"Unfortunately, as can happen in the wild, Mujur did not exhibit the necessary maternal qualities and both infants passed away not long after birth," Dublin Zoo confirmed.

Ahead of the arrival of her third child, staff at the Zoo worked for months, "leaving no stone unturned" to give the best chance possible to develop the maternal qualities necessary.

A lactation learning process was started at the zoo, with a call for volunteers put out from lactation groups in Dublin.

"A wonderful group of 30 women have generously given their time over the past few months, taking it in turns to breastfeed their infants in front of the pregnant Mujur," the zoo revealed.

"Mujur was extremely interested in watching the women feed their babies through the glass, even mirroring some of their actions.

"Mujur was also shown videos of other orangutans feeding their babies as part of the learning experience."

Some success was recorded with Mujur showing maternal care towards her child following birth, however, she has yet to master putting him in the correct position for feeding.

Best practice states the zoo should not intervene in situations like this "to ensure conditions are as natural as possible’ though due to the importance of the infant and his genetic profile, he was separate from his mother.

"The Dublin Zoo animal care team is currently looking after the infant around the clock and bottle feeding him, and all involved are extremely proud to be playing a part in the infant’s development," a statement from the zoo confirmed.

Unfortunately, hand-rearing isn’t feasible at the Dublin-based zoo, which is not planning to have the infant cared for at a specialist institution in the UK.

Monkey World is a 65-acre institution officially designated by the Orangutan European breeding program to raise infants who have been rejected by their mum.

The young, who remains unnamed, will stay in the care of Dublin Zoo for another few weeks before making the trip to his new home in the UK.

"The whole team has already fallen hopelessly in love with him, 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," the Zoo confirmed.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.