Zoe the orangutan needed help breastfeeding. Her first baby, Taavi, had to be hand-raised after she failed to nurse him and hold him properly. It’s likely Zoe never learned how to be a mom since she was orphaned at nine months old when her own mother died unexpectedly. Metro Richmond Zoo staff were determined to teach Zoe how to nurse successfully for her next baby.
When Zoe delivered her second baby on December 12, 2022, our vet contacted Whitlee Turner, a zookeeper and new mom herself, for an extraordinary favor. Whitlee was asked to breastfeed her own baby Caleb in front of Zoe in hopes that Zoe would learn from a live demonstration. Whitlee agreed to help and she and her son arrived at the orangutan’s indoor house soon after Zoe gave birth.
Whitlee was excited to share her breastfeeding knowledge with Zoe. Of the experience, she said:
“I just had my breastfeeding bra on, and I was able to show [Zoe] everything with zero modesty. I wanted her to be able to see the whole process because orangutans don’t wear shirts. I wanted her to be able to see my breasts and see Caleb and be able to see him rooting and looking for it and the latch.
With my bra down, I was very exaggerated when I put him on so that [Zoe] could see that the baby goes here. The whole time I was talking to her and pointing at her, pointing at the baby, pointing at her breasts. And when Caleb was latched I was showing it to her, making sure that she saw the important part.
The whole time she just kept watching me curiously. She didn’t immediately breastfeed her baby, but she was definitely watching the whole time.”
Less than 24 hours later, Zoe nursed her baby for the first time. The breastfeeding demonstration was successful, but that’s not all it took to help Zoe. For months before giving birth, zookeepers worked with her tirelessly to kickstart her maternal instincts. Zoe’s caretakers set up a TV inside, so she could watch videos of orangutan mothers giving birth and caring for their young. She watched the videos over and over again and learned from these experienced mothers.
Read the rest of the story on the Metro Richmond Zoo website.
