News Archive

What has the Zoo’s 10-week-old Bornean orangutan, Redd, been up to? His social circle is expanding, says keeper Erin Stromberg, and his personality and curiosity are starting to develop! Get the latest on Redd and his mom, Batang, in the latest keeper Q&A.

Happy Orangutan Caring Week! We’re celebrating the Zoo’s seven orangutans by sharing their stories. Redd Update Here’s lookin’ at you, kid! At 8 weeks old, our Bornean orangutan Redd is alert, attentive and making eye contact with those around him. His social circle is expanding, too. Earlier this...

What’s a zoo to do when an orangutan has the sniffles? Treatment depends on whether the infection is viral or bacterial, says Priscilla Joyner, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s (SCBI’s) veterinary medical officer. She has teamed up with colleagues at the University of Miami to...

The newest member of our primate family has arrived! Meet Redd, a Bornean orangutan born to mother Batang and father Kyle on Sept. 12. In our latest #OrangutanStory update, keeper Erin Stromberg reveals how our first-time mom is adjusting and bonding with her newborn. How are Batang and Redd doing...

The Great Ape house will reopen on Tuesday morning. This will be the first opportunity for the visitors and the media to see the Zoo’s infant Bornean orangutan born to Batang on Sept. 12.

Batang and her infant are doing well! Keepers report that she is very attentive to his needs, holds him gently and consistently nurses him—all encouraging signs. The primate team provided the pair with extra hay and blankets to keep them comfortable. While the other adults have not met the newest...

For the first time in 25 years, primate staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the birth of a male Bornean orangutan. He was born at 8:52 p.m. Sept. 12. Both 19 years old, female Batang and male Kyle bred in January following a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos...

For the first time in 25 years, staff at the Smithsonian's National Zoo are making preparations for the highly anticipated birth of an endangered Bornean orangutan. With a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan (SSP), the 19-year-old parents to be...