ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta zoo is welcoming an infant Sumatran orangutan.
Zoo Atlanta says a medical team performed a Caesarean section on 16-year-old Blaze to deliver a male infant on Thursday. It was one of only three C-sections performed on Sumatran orangutans in recent years.
Blaze is a small female, and she previously lost an infant who didn't survive the birth process, perhaps because of her size. That prompted the zoo's veterinary teams to prepare for several potential birth scenarios, including a C-section. The zoo's veterinary team performed the procedure along with a collection of human birth experts and consultant veterinarians.
The zoo says Blaze appears to be recovering normally, and her infant is in a nursery unit. The veterinary team hopes to reintroduce the two so they can begin bonding.
