Niu-li, a Bornean Orangutan, was born on April 11, 2012, at
Taipei Zoo. She is named after her mother, Xiang-niu. Her
father, Eddie, living in a nearby enclosure often peeks at his
mate and daughter. Mom Xiang-niu was very loving, and held her
baby quite tenderly. However, she was not producing enough milk,
which had caused unsuccessful nursing in her previous two
babies. So, after two days of observation, the keepers decided
to it was necessary to hand-rear Niu-li,. Female Orangutans
invest a lot of time in their offspring, taking care of them
until they reach adolescence at around 6 years of age. Although
Orangutans are similar to human beings, nursing a 3 pound (1.42
kg) baby is still not an easy task. Keepers had to feed her five
times a day, one of which had to happen before dawn.
“Fortunately, Niu-li is a well-behaved baby. She drinks 65 c.c.
of milk promptly every time,” said one of the zoo keepers. The
word “orangutan” comes from Malay language and means “person of
the forest.” They are omnivorous, bu