Orangutan surprises zoo by getting pregnant despite taking birth control
It's kinda like that film Knocked Up, but with primates.
Keepers at Adelaide Zoo in Australia have been taken aback by the news that its Sumatran orangutan, Karta, has fallen pregnant despite being on birth control. A baby is expected in mid-Jan. 2017.
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The zoo's Senior Primate Keeper, Jodie Ellen, shared the "nerve-wracking news" in a Facebook post.
"Mother Nature actually intervened, and we've gone ahead with the pregnancy because Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered in the wild," she said.
There is a sad twist to this story, however, as 34-year-old Karta has lost six infants due to difficulties breastfeeding and stillborn births, since 1995.
"In 2011, we discovered Karta’s anatomy might be the reason she has difficulties breastfeeding. In fact, Karta’s sister at Denver Zoo experiences the same problems, with keepers having to supplement-feed her infant in order for it to survive," Ellen said in a statement.
Now that the zoo knows Karta is expecting, it will "do everything it can" to support her pregnancy.
That includes the installation of cameras to monitor the orangutan, as well as feeding and caring plans for mother and her soon-to-be child.
"It's a very stressful time for all of us, but we really hope we will have your support during this time, because we all know we want this desperately to be a positive outcome," Ellen said.
You can do it, Karta!
