Hairy single father: why the orangutan became a mother for his cub

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

If among people single fathers are sometimes found, then orangutans have not heard this. However, a dad named Berani at the Denver Zoo after the death of his passion did just that. He became a caring mother for their common daughter. And this despite the fact that in the wild, orangutan fathers usually do not participate at all in raising their offspring! The staff of the zoo and the social network spoke about the touching relationship between dad and daughter.

The bond between an orang-utan mother, raising her offspring alone, and her child is considered one of the strongest in nature. The researchers note that the females of these monkeys spend more time caring for each of their offspring than any other known mammal. But a two-year-old orang-utan girl named Kera, who lives at the Denver Zoo, will not be able to fully feel the love and care of her mother. The baby was left alone after her 32-year-old mother suddenly died last December.

The cause of the monkey's death is still unknown (the autopsy results have not yet arrived), however, in any case, the baby's mother cannot be returned. However, to the complete surprise of the zoo workers, Kera's father, the orangutan Berani, decided to take care of the cub on his own. And he showed himself to be the best of fathers!

- Kera could not even dream of such a dad! Berani cares so much for her daughter and protects her, noticing all her needs and fulfilling all her wishes, that we are simply amazed, according to the zoo's Facebook page.

Touching photos of dad and daughter, gently snuggling together, confirm this information. These pictures prove that love works wonders even in animals!

As the zoo keepers observed, Berani's pet has always been special, and he has become an exception, abandoning the typical role of a male orangutan, usually not interested in his children.

In fairness, it should be noted that Berani has shown interest in his children before. So, long before the death of Niasa (the baby's mother), Berani was known for willingly communicating with Hesti, the first daughter of Niasa, born of another male, as with his own child. In other words, even before the birth of Kera, the orangutan became a foster father for his daughter "from his first marriage". In general, the fact that after the death of Niasa Berani shouldered the care of his biological daughter is quite natural.

Recently, dad and daughter have been inseparable. Berani became a consolation for Kera, who had lost her mother. He carries her in his arms, calms her down if she is upset about something, and when the baby is asleep, the parent hugs her.

By the way, according to the observations of the zoo workers, the old sister of the baby, Hesti, despite the age of 11 (in a few years she will already be able to have children of her own), also did not disregard Keru. She often plays with her throughout the day.

As noted in the zoo, in the family group of orangutans, the late Niasa was the leader, so that she will not be able to completely replace the mother of baby Berani. Besides, dad (even the most caring one) is still not mom. However, since Kera is already big enough to weaned, there was no need to look for her foster mother.

- Niasa came to Denver Zoo back in 2005 - when she was only 17. She spent 15 years here, delighting guests and acting as an “ambassador” of her endangered species, - they say at the zoo.

The Sumatran orangutans in question are one of three species of these great apes. Now they are on the verge of extinction due to the ruthless destruction of forests in Sumatra. There are currently less than 14,000 such orangutans in the wild.

By the way, orangutans are one of the genus closest to humans in terms of DNA homology. Who knows, maybe this is why male Berani, who has become a caring single father, woke up such a human quality?

Some episodes from the life of the wild are so touching and delightful that they cannot leave us indifferent. We invite you to watch the publication about the gentle giants of the savannah and other spectacular wildlife shots from Wild2020 Photo Contest winners.