The Woodland Park Zoo announced Thursday that its pregnant orangutan, Batu, has lost her baby after carrying the fetus nearly to term.
An image of Batu, a 15-year-old orangutan who recently lost her baby after carrying the fetus nearly to term.
“Up until recently, we had been able to closely track the development of Batu’s fetus. The last ultrasound showed all indicators were good—the fetus was near-term and appeared to be developing well, with a normal heartbeat,” said Dr. Tim Storms, Director of Animal Health at Woodland Park Zoo. “Because Batu wouldn’t participate in any ultrasounds recently, we made a decision to anesthetize her this morning for evaluation by an expert consulting team of human obstetricians and radiologists. The imaging and examination immediately revealed the fetus was no longer viable, and Batu had lost her baby,” added Storms. “We were able to successfully deliver the fetus without the need for surgery, which will greatly shorten Batu’s recovery.
The zoo's birth management plan for Batu included regular veterinary check-ups in consultation with an obstetrician and ultrasound procedures to track fetal development, growth, movements, and cardiac function. As her birth was near-term, the obstetrician had been doing in-person check-ins on a twice-weekly basis, according to the WPZ.
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