Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Says Goodbye to Baby Mahal
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s nine-month-old baby orangutan, Mahal, will be leaving the Zoo in early February. Mahal will be traveling in style (via private plane) to the Milwaukee County Zoo to be paired with a new surrogate mom.
Mahal was born at the Zoo on April 4, 2007 to parents Hadiah and Tujoh, Bornean orangutans. Mahal is Hadiah’s first baby and she didn’t immediately take to her infant, requiring Zoo staff to step in to begin caring for the baby. Since Mahal’s birth the dedicated hand-rearing team has cared for him 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.
As you may remember Mahal was introduced to Sandra, the Zoo’s 51-year old orangutan matriarch, in November. Sandra raised nine of her own children and immediately took to Mahal. The keepers noticed a renewed energy in Sandra and the two were inseparable. Unfortunately, Sandra died in her sleep in mid-December.
The search for a new surrogate mom continued after Sandra’s passing, but we were not able to pair Mahal with a surrogate here at the Zoo. Since all babies need a mom, the Zoo knew it would be in Mahal’s best interest to transfer him to another accredited Zoo with a proven orangutan surrogate program. Mahal will be dearly missed by all of us at the Zoo but we are very happy that he will be with a new mom.
Stop by and say goodbye to Mahal; he will be with his caregiver in the indoor exhibit at Primate World for the next week. A “Goodbye Book” will be available in Primate World for those who would like to write a farewell message or share a photo or personal story about Mahal. And, if you are ever in Milwaukee stop by the County Zoo to see Mahal with his new mom.
Visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s website
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