Emily Faye

Our orangutan family is growing! 🧡 We're excited to announce that Hesty, our fabulous-haired Sumatran orangutan, is pregnant with her first child and due late May! This is an exciting milestone for the Critically Endangered species and an extra special moment for us as Hesty was born at DZCA in 2010 and is now becoming a mom herself. Our dedicated Animal Care and Veterinary Medicine teams have been closely monitoring Hesty’s pregnancy, which was confirmed in February through ultrasound and human pregnancy tests. Hesty is now late in her second trimester and doing well as she prepares for motherhood. The baby’s father, 18-year-old Jaya, will also be a first-time parent. Jaya has called DZCA home since 2019 after arriving from Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. He and Hesty have spent time together over the past couple of years as part of an AZA Species Survival Plan breeding recommendation to support the future of this species. While there are always risks with first-time pregnancies, our expert teams are carefully preparing for Hesty’s birthing window and are ready to provide support if needed. Hesty required brief assist-rearing as an infant before reuniting with her mother, so our teams are planning for every possibility to give both mom and baby the best start. Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to welcoming Hesty’s baby later this spring! 📷: Animal Care Specialists Christa K. and Kelly H.