A Little-Known Breeding Program Is Quietly Creating an Orangutan Baby Boom in the US

is quietly creating an orangutan baby boom in the US.

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eight orangutan babies have been born in American zoos.

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but for a critically endangered primate,

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and the orangutan species survival plan have created

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It's built upon decades of research

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and it's designed to help ensure the great apes' survival.

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We share 90% of our DNA with orangutans,

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and the program uses that to its advantage.

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The apes that participate in zoos are given human birth

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and they're even taught to pee on human pregnancy tests.

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Human OB-GYNs are also on call to help with births.

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Now, these baby orangutans born in US zoos

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So why does what's happening in the US matter?

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Zookeepers liken the new arrivals to ambassadors.

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Visitors see them abstract ideas like climate change

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and deforestation in far off places become much more real.

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That can inspire visitors to take action

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and push for stronger conservation efforts abroad.

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And orangutans need all the help they can get.

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Their rainforest habitat in Borneo and Sumatra

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is being raised for palm oil plantations

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while babies are sold in the black market as pets.

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Some estimates indicate they could go extinct in the wild

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within 50 years, while even more…

Original source: https://www.wired.com/