Rare Bornean orangutan born at Tampa zoo

TAMPA, Fla. – A zoo in Florida has welcomed the birth of a rare Bornean orangutan.

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo said in a statement Thursday that the endangered primate was born to mother Dee Dee and father Goyang on Jan.6. In October, a human pregnancy test confirmed that Dee Dee was pregnant.

Officials say the zoo is currently home to a group of seven endangered orangutans and participates in the Bornean Orangutan Species Survival Plan.

Native to Malaysia and Indonesia, the longhaired red great apes can be found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

The species is considered endangered in the wild due to critical habitat loss, poaching and pet trade. The population declined more than 50 per cent during the last 60 years.