Mothers sometimes struggle to breastfeed, and Zoe, a 14-year-old orangutan, was no exception. When Zoe gave birth to her second baby, the zoo’s veterinarian had an idea: ask a zookeeper to breastfeed her own baby in front of Zoe, as a live demonstration.
So, when Zoe gave birth in December 2022 to her second baby, the zoo’s veterinarian had an idea: ask a zookeeper who was a new mom to breastfeed her own baby in front of Zoe, as a live demonstration.Turner, a zookeeper at the facility for the past three years, had difficulty at first with nursing her son and had received help from several doctors and lactation consultants. She brought her son Caleb — then four months old — to Zoe’s enclosure shortly after the mama orangutan had given birth.
“I told her, ‘This is my baby,’” Turner said, as she touched Caleb. “‘That’s your baby.’” When she put Caleb on her breast, she pointed to Zoe’s breasts, saying, “Put your baby here.” It’s not uncommon for orangutans to be trained to mimic human behavior, experts said. They’re considered among the most intelligent species of great apes and have “a lot of similarities with humans,” said Jessica Gring, a lead keeper atZoe didn’t immediately breastfed her baby when Turner was there. But less than 24 hours later, Zoe nursed her newborn for the first time. Officials at the zoo released a video Thursday showing Turner breastfeeding her baby in front of Zoe.
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