Endangered orangutan shows off her rare baby to Blackpool Zoo visitors

A critically-endangered orangutan has shown off her new baby to visitors at Blackpool Zoo.

The five-week-old Bornean orangutan is the zoo's first such birth for two decades, and it is hoped he will one day boost conservation efforts.

His mother Jingga, 13, thrilled crowds at the Lancashire tourist attraction by holding him towards the viewing windows with her arms outstretched and head bowed.

Zoo staff have not yet given the baby a name.

The baby, who will stay with his mother until he is about seven-years-old, so he can develop the skills needed to be independent, smiled through the glass as visitors murmured excitedly and filmed on their phones.

He was born as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) and described as “very special” by keepers when they announced his birth in June.

Zoo boss Darren Webster said: "The arrival of this very special baby is wonderful news, not just for us here at Blackpool Zoo, but for the species too.

"This species now faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

"This makes breeding programmes such as the EEP absolutely vital, and we are hoping that this is the start of a new generation of beautiful Bornean orangutans here at Blackpool Zoo."

Mum Jingga arrived at the zoo from her birthplace, Barcelona, in 2017.

The baby’s father, Kawan, also 13, arrived from a Dutch zoo in 2022 and was picked to form a breeding group after talks with EEP experts and specialist keepers.