The rare baby boy was born Sunday after seven hours of labor and is doing well, said Matthey Lenyo, the zoo’s curator of primates and carnivores. The baby, who has not yet been named, weighs between three and four pounds.
He is the first male orangutan to be born in captivity in the United States in 2026. No males were born in the U.S. in 2025, Lenyo said.
The baby’s father, 18-year-old Jaya, lives at the Denver Zoo but has not been introduced to his offspring.
Hesty, who was born at the Denver Zoo in 2010, has not needed human assistance with nursing or caring for the baby, Lenyo said. She is a first-time mother.
“She’s doing it all,” he said. “That’s the best case scenario.”
(Photo courtesy of the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance)
Hesty’s life had a difficult start after birth and required help from the animal care staff before she was reunited with her mother. So her caretakers prepared for a similar situation.
The orangutan care specialists spent months preparing Hesty to have the baby, using positive reinforcement to convince her to cooperate with testing and other needs. They trained her to hand a stuffed animal through a specially designed crate in case something went wrong, Lenyo said.
Hesty’s baby, however, has not needed human assistance, according to a zoo news release.
“It’s important to know that’s what orangutans do,” Lenyo said. “They have a natural instinct and they learn from other females.”
Unlike Eirina, another orangutan at the zoo, Hesty did not have extreme morning sickness that required daily cups of tea.
Hesty traded her placenta after birth for her favorite treats so the zoo’s veterinary staff could examine it for any signs of health problems, Lenyo said.
Hesty is known among zoo staff and visitors for the long, swooping bangs that hang over her face. The zoo frequently posts portraits of her on its Instagram page.
Lenyo said the new mom managed to maintain her fashionable locks during childbirth.
“Even during labor, she looked beautiful,” he said. “Her hair was everywhere it needed to be.”It’s too early to tell whether her son will share that trait.
“We see some little blond sideburns,” Lenyo said. “We are very curious to see what he looks like when he grows up.”
The zoo will wait until mid-June to introduce the baby to the public. The exact timing will depend on when Hesty is comfortable with it. The zookeepers will also follow Hesty’s instincts before introducing the baby to the other orangutans at the zoo.
The zoo is seeking the public’s help in choosing between three names: Rambutan, Oka or Jamartin.
Sumatran orangutans live in the rainforests and swamps on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. There are fewer than 14,000 in the wild.
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