කෘත්‍රිම සිංචනයකින් උපන් පළමු ඔරංඔටන් පැටවා 'අයාන්' සිංගප්පූරුවේදී ප්‍රදර්ශනයට

Ayaan makes history as the first orangutan baby born through artificial insemination and a C-section at the Mandai Wildlife Group, which owns the Singapore Zoo. The baby, whose name means 'blessing' in Arabic, is the offspring of 29-year-old Chomel, the granddaughter of Ah Meng, a famous orangutan at the Singapore Zoo.

The father is Charlie, a 48-year-old Sumatran orangutan. Mr. Heng Yirui, Deputy Vice President of Veterinary Services and Scientific Programmes at Mandai Wildlife Group, states that this is the world's first orangutan birth to simultaneously involve artificial insemination, the complication of 'placenta praevia', and a successful C-section.

Currently, there are only about 13,800 Sumatran orangutans in the wild, and the World Wildlife Fund identifies them as a critically endangered species. Since Charlie had not fathered any offspring, preserving his rare genetic heritage was a primary goal for zoo authorities. Accordingly, Charlie and Chomel were introduced to each other in 2018, but as Charlie showed no interest, the animal care team decided to resort to medical technology. Chomel's pregnancy was confirmed after a procedure carried out as the third step in artificial insemination attempts, which began in May 2022.

The gestation period for an orangutan is typically about eight and a half months. While Chomel's pregnancy initially progressed normally, she later experienced bleeding. Ultrasound scans revealed she had 'placenta praevia', a risky condition where the placenta covers the opening of the uterus, leading doctors to conclude that a natural birth could be fatal for both the mother and the baby. Consequently, with the assistance of neonatal and obstetric specialists from the human healthcare sector, a C-section was performed under general anesthesia on March 18. After the approximately 20-minute surgery, Ayaan, weighing 1.6 kg, was born into the world around 9:45 AM.

At birth, Ayaan's body was pale blue, and he showed no crying or response, only a weak heartbeat. However, after about seven minutes of intense effort by the medical team, the baby began to recover with his first breath, according to animal care supervisor Ms. Wendy Chua. Currently, both Chomel and Ayaan have fully recovered and are in excellent health. Zoo sources also state that Chomel is nursing another orangutan baby in addition to her own. Ayaan and Chomel will be exhibited to the public for the first time at the Singapore Zoo starting May 20.