A DORSET MONKEY sanctuary has taken in an infant orangutan which had become vulnerable after its mother had been unable to feed it.

Sibu Junior was born on 31 July at Dublin Zoo but despite efforts by staff to teach and encourage its mother to feed the youngster, it was decided to find a new home for it.

Now the 12-week-old male has been taken in by the European specialist orangutan creche at Monkey World – Ape Rescue Centre in Dorset.

A spokeswoman for the centre said: “Sibu Junior was born on July 31st and despite his mother clearly loving him, she did not possess the skills to position him so he could feed, so the difficult decision was taken to remove Sibu Junior to be hand reared, to save the youngster.

“The team at Dublin Zoo cared for Sibu Junior round the clock for the first couple months of his life, while arrangements were made to transfer him to Monkey World – Ape Rescue Centre.

“Monkey World is home to the European specialist orangutan crèche for orphaned and rejected infants, which aims to break the cycle of abandonment and help female orangutans rear their own young in future.”

This week we welcomed baby orangutan Sibu Junior from Dublin Zoo!
The 12-week-old Bornean boy will eventually join our specialist orangutan creche with foster mum Oshine, & adopted siblings but first he'll be cared for by Alison & PCS.
Read more: https://t.co/2JB0HnYKCM pic.twitter.com/J5E8xJG6km

— Monkey World Dorset (@MWApeRescue) October 25, 2024

Dr Alison Cronin, director of Monkey World, said: “It is really too bad that Sibu’s mother did not feed him, it was what everyone had hoped for.

“In the end, the team at Dublin Zoo saved the baby’s life and cared for him around the clock while necessary health checks and paperwork were completed for the transfer of the infant to Monkey World.

“It is so important that orphan orangutans grow up with others of their own kind.

“Monkey World specialises in the care of these very vulnerable infants and has specialist facilities to aid in their development and integration into the Nursery Creche.”

Dublin Zoo Dublin Zoo

Dr Cronin added: “At present, Sibu is just over 3kg and is taking 90mls of formula at a time, throughout the day and night.

“He is not ready to join the others just yet but it won’t be long before he is able to sit up and move around on his own.

“Then he can start spending days in the nursery and get to know some of the others that live there.

“Sibu’s future in the nursery creche is a long one as he will stay with us, growing up with other orangutans for the next 10 years before having an adult group of his own someday.”

The zoo had previously tried an initiative of getting breastfeeding mothers to attend the zoo and breastfeed their infants in front of Sibu’s mother, Mujur, in the hopes that it would teach the orangutan how to feed her young. 

Thirty women joined the team and worked off a rota. 

Monkey World has cared for 10 orphan orangutans from seven countries with the nursery and its foster mother Oshine, a Bornean orangutan, currently caring for four other youngsters.