Feel good story of the year
Abandoned at birth, Aurora, the orphaned orangutan, finds a new mom at theHouston Zoo
Aurora, the 10-month-old orangutan at the Houston Zoo, has bright bulging eyes, a bald head, tiny limbs and a so-adorable-it's-painful face. But just after her birth last March, Kelly, Aurora's biological mom, rejected her.
During the first nine months of her life, Aurora clung to an orange-haired stuffed orangutan and 50 volunteers, who cared for her around the clock — nurturing, bottle-feeding, grooming, teaching her to climb.
"Cheyenne is so happy," said Killam. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy with another baby."
The zoo staff immediately introduced Aurora to the other orangutans, so she became accustomed to seeing them at birth. They monitored interactions between Aurora and the two adult female orangutans, Kelly and Cheyenne.
It's been slow going, but the volunteers' efforts have paid off: Just this month, Cheyenne 'adopted' the abandoned primate. Though she has no natural offspring of her own, Chayenne has successfully been an adoptive mother to three other infant orangutans.
"During the months that Aurora was being hand reared by the keepers and 50 volunteers, the entire process was always in view of all of the zoo's orangutans in the off exhibit 'night house' bedrooms at Wortham World of Primates," Brian Hill, PR and media relations director for the Houston Zoo, told CultureMap. "Over those months, Cheyenne showed the most interest in Aurora. Wanting to be close to her, touch her through the containment mesh, and showing other indications of interest."
The official test came on Dec. 28, when a 'creep door' between Aurora's cage and Cheyenne's was opened for the first time.
"Aurora chose not to go completely through it, instead touching and playing with Cheyenne through the small gap as Cheyenne reached her arm through," said primate supervisor Lynn Killam in a statement.
On Dec. 29, the creep door was again opened, and Cheyenne awaited Aurora's approached.
"As Aurora came through the door, Cheyenne picked her up and carried her across the room," Killam explained. The new pair spent the next seven hours cuddling and sharing food. Aurora watched in amazement as Cheyenne performed summersaults.
Now, they're inseparable.
"Cheyenne is so happy," said Killam. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy with another baby."
