Baby Bornean Orangutan Born At ZooTampa + What's New At The Zoo

TAMPA, FL — Perhaps eager to make her television debut on Season 3 of Nat Geo Wild's "Secrets of the Zoo: Tampa," which premiered Sunday, a bouncing baby Bornean orangutan was born to ZooTampa's resident orangutan parents, mom Hadiah and dad Goyang.

The baby was born Feb. 6, weighing about 3 1/2 pounds. Two weeks later, mom and baby have begun making public appearances in the orangutan habitat, and fans have been flocking to the Tampa zoo to catch a glimpse of the baby girl, who's already active and starting to explore her environment, keeping Hadiah on her toes.

This is Hadiah’s second baby. Her first baby, Topi, was born at ZooTampa in 2016.

There are now three generations of Bornean orangutans at the zoo, nine in all, including three moms and their little ones.

Josie, who gave birth to Gojo in 2016, is technically the grandmother of the family. At age 6, Gojo's curiosity is insatiable curious, and he can is now venturing further from mom to expore the habitat.

Josie’s daughter is Hadiah. Unlike Gojo, 6-year-old daughter Topi is never far from her side, although Hadiah's now has her hands full with the new baby. Orangutan youngsters generally remain close by their mothers' sides until they're 8 years old.

DeeDee is the oldest female orangutan at ZooTampa. She's also a mother of two - RanDee and baby Dira. She's often seen in the habitat cuddling and kissing Dira and RanDee.

Dad Goyang, who has developed the distinctive large orangutan cheek pads as he's matured, setting him apart from female orangutans, is the father of Gojo, Topi, Dira and now the newest baby, yet to be named.

Males can weight 165 to 220 pounds and grow to a height of 4.6 feet. The females are smaller, weighing 7o to 80 pounds. The can live 35 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity.

The birth of a baby orangutan at the zoo is always cause for celebration. The Bornean orangutan, found in the rain forests of the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, is critically endangered due to extensive deforestation, much of which is connected to unsustainable palm oil production. A century ago, there were an estimated 230,000 Bornean orangutans in the wild, but their numbers have dwindled to just 104,700.

Palm oil harvesting of the African oil palm tree in Sumatra, Borneo and Indonesia is the leading cause of orangutan extinction. It’s in 50 percent of all household and food products sold in the West, including shampoo, toothpaste, detergent, frozen microwave dinners, cookies, peanut butter, lotion and makeup.

Cheap production costs and growing demand for palm oil have placed pressure on palm oil-producing countries to rapidly expand their oil palm plantations by clearing rain forest to make way for their plantations. In the last 16 years, 100,000 Bornean orangutans have been killed due to illegal deforestation.

ZooTampa To Debut New Florida Wilds

As the Bornean orangutan family grows, so, too, does ZooTampa, which is set to open its new immersive area, "New Florida Wilds," March 3 with zoo members getting a preview March 1 and 2.

The Florida Wilds will feature more spacious habitats for the native species at the zoo, including the endangered Florida panther, giving visitors unobstructed views of the big cats. ZooTampa is now home to three Florida panthers who are unable to be returned to the wild due to permanent injuries.

The Florida Wilds will also give visits a closer look at other native species like black bears, owls, manatees, river otters, American bald eagles, sandhill cranes, flamingos, American alligators and skunks.

Additionally, ZooTampa has expanded its participation in the Association of Zoo and Aquarium’s Species Survival Program for the critically endangered red wolf. The zoo is now home to two females with the hope that they will pair up with the zoo's males and help increase red wolf numbers with the ultimate goal of returning them to the wild.

The Florida Wilds also aims to educate guests on environmental conservation. The area has interpretative signage, including rookery towers that provide tips for Floridians on how to safely live alongside the many species that share the state’s diverse ecosystem.

Daily chats with animal experts also take place in the new area.

The Florida Wilds encompass the:

• David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center
• Florida Boardwalk
• Manatee Mangrove
• Key West Deck
• Saunders Conservation Theater
• Bald Eagle Overlook Gift Shop

Also in March, visitors will be able to check out the newest zoo residents, the hamadryas baboons, at the Primate Realm.

This unique member of the Old World monkey family was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians and a representative of their god of learning. The group of six baboons, which came to ZooTampa from New York's Prospect Park Zoo, will live in a sprawling, fully remodeled habitat featuring expansive viewing windows.

They join ZooTampa's other primates including the Bornean orangutans, Colobus monkeys, lemurs, the Siamang (arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand),the mandrills with their colorful faces and the guenon from sub-Saharan Africa.

Secrets Of The Zoo: Tampa

When they're not visiting the zoo, zoo fans can keep track of the animals by watching the third, 12-episode season of "Secrets of the Zoo: Tampa."

The show offers behind-the-scenes stories of the animals and the team entrusted with their care.

Episodes will feature the birth of the new baby Bornean orangutan and ZooTampa's rehabilitation of manatees sickened by red tide or injured by boat propellers as they're returned to their native habitat in Florida waters.

"Secrets of the Zoo: Tampa" is produced by Emmy-winning, Tampa-based Remedy Television + Branded. Nat Geo Wild is available on:

• Frontier Fios - Channel 132/632 HD
• Spectrum - Channel 148
• DirecTV - Channel 283
• Dish - Channel 190
• DISNEY+ (New Episodes on Wednesdays)

Click here for a backstage encounter as the series is filmed.

A Record Year For ZooTampa

This all comes as ZooTampa at Lowry Park finished 2021 with a record attendance of 1,204,115 million guests.

“We started the year with optimism that families were going to continue to seek opportunities to safely enjoy outdoor activities that connect them with nature and each other,” ZooTampa President and CEO Joe Couceiro said. “Throughout, we continued to champion Florida wildlife, provided exemplary care to all our animals, shared our inspirational stories of conservation; while maintaining a safe and beautifully lush environment where our guests were entertained, educated and inspired to join us on our mission to save wildlife and wild places for future generations to enjoy.”

Among the accomplishments in 2021:

• The opening of the new attraction, Expedition Wild Africa, offering up-close encounters with rhinos, giraffes
• The expansion of ZooTampa’s efforts aimed at saving manatees. The zoo surpassed the milestone of rehabilitating 500 manatees since the opening of ZooTampa's manatee critical care center and supplemented its rescue capabilities with additional staff members focused on the Manatee Stranding Network as Florida faces record manatee mortality rates. The zoo also launched its manatee volunteer program, allowing volunteers to assist in manatee stranding rescues.
• The introduction of new species including binturongs (also known as bearcats) and rare shoebill storks.
• The release of thousands of critically endangered Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles to their native habitat.
• The births of vulnerable animals as part of the Species Survival Plan including endangered African penguins and Siamang, and threatened Inca tern, white rhinos, and bongos (spiral-horned bovines).
• The awarding of the prestigious Institute of Museum and Library Services American Rescue Plan Grant for a program with at-risk families to help with the recovery of pandemic-related child learning and development challenges.
• Partnerships with external conservation projects including AZA’s Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, International Rhino Foundation, Okapi Conservation Project, International Elephant Foundation, Painted Dog Research Trust, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation, Macaw Recovery Network and The Turtle Relief fund.
• Acquired the ZT Saves retrofitted rescue vehicle, which covered more than 6,400 miles and assisted in the rescue, transfer and release of more than 40 manatees.
• Forming new partnerships including the first-ever Wendy’s Frosty cart, the community electronics recycling drives with Urban E-Recycling and the institution of sustainable aluminum cups with the Ball Corp.

“We look ahead with excitement to 2022 as we introduce an incredible new species to the zoo, hamadryas baboons, open the new Florida Wilds area featuring expanded habitats for endangered Florida panthers and black bears, and the introduction of a new state-of-the-art stingray habitat," Couceiro said.

ZooTampa is located at 1101 W. Sligh Ave. Click here for tickets and more information.

See related stories:

• Nat Geo Wild TV Series Debuts 3rd Season At ZooTampa Sunday
  
• Release Of Rescued Manatee Offers Ray Of Hope Following Hard Year
• Endangered Baby Southern White Rhino Welcomed At ZooTampa
• Cuteness Quotient: Rare Bornean Orangutan Born At ZooTampa
• Video: Gronk Visits Namesake Rare Baby Rhino At ZooTampa
• Rare Species One Step Closer To Survival With ZooTampa Birth
• 'Hey, I Need A Name;' Fundraiser Underway To Name Baby Orangutan