SAN DIEGO — After a tumultuous birth, Kaja, a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, celebrated his first birthday at San Diego Zoo.
Kaja was born in 2022 to her mother, Indah, who suffered severe medical complications such as serious bleeding and anemia after giving birth to Kaja.
Indah required several weeks of medical attention from community-based experts, including neonatal anesthesiologists and OB-GYN specialists.
Indah eventually recovered and was reunited with her son, Kaja, San Diego Zoo officials said.
"Wildlife care specialists eventually introduced Kaja to the rest of the orangutan group and familiarized him with the two siamangs that share the habitat. Due to quick intervention, both mother and infant have thrived," San Diego Zoo shared in a press release.
Kaja was named after an island in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, where rehabilitated orangutans are cared for before reintroduction to native habitats.
Sumatran orangutan's suffered a decline in their population due to illegal wildlife trafficking and habitat loss from rampant deforestation, which forced them into closer contact with people.
Kaja was the first orangutan born at the San Diego Zoo since 2014 when Indah gave birth to her daughter Aisha.
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