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Orangutan's Paternity Test Proves Only Male In The Enclosure Isn't His Dad

Amelia Jones

Published 
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Orangutan's Paternity Test Proves Only Male In The Enclosure Isn't His Dad

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/ Zoo Basel

Some might call it a case of monkeying around but it was discovered that a female orangutan in Basel Zoo has recently given birth to a baby which didn't belong to the only male orangutan in her enclosure - and zookeepers were left scratching their heads as to who the baby daddy was.

Orangutan Maja gave birth to five-month-old baby Padama last August and keepers assumed Budi, the male Maja lived with, was her dad - but tests came back confirming this was not the case.

The test showed that the father is Vendel, the male in a neighbouring enclosure.

Credit: Instagram/Basel Zoo
Credit: Instagram/Basel Zoo
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Keepers routinely take DNA samples from newborn orangutans because the endangered great apes are part of a breeding program.

It seems star-crossed lovers Vendel and Maja had some illicit and secret encounters by the fence and managed to conceive baby Padama.

The Swiss zoo explained: "Until now, these tests have not thrown up any surprises.

"But there is a first time for everything: Padma's father turned out to be Vendel (18), who Maja sometimes meets at the fence, and not Budi (14), who lives with Maja."

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"From a biological perspective, this is less surprising. As the only male at Basel Zoo with cheek pads, Vendel is very easy to spot.

"He is also the dominant male of the three male orangutans at the zoo.

Credit: Instagram/Zoo Basel
Credit: Instagram/Zoo Basel

"In the wild, female orangutans similarly tend to look for - and pair up with - males with cheek pads when they are in heat. Non-dominant males also like to try their luck with females, usually with great success.

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"However, it seems that the females simply cannot resist a male with cheek pads." Same, hun.

In other primate news, thousands of animal lovers are fighting to bring home a Twycross chimpanzee that was being bullied by other primates at a zoo in Germany.

Animal rights activist Petra Dente claimed the ten-year-old Bonobo, named Bili, suffered bites in the head and lost part of an ear in the attack.

The chimp was born in Leicestershire in 2008 but moved to Frankfurt after being rejected by his mum.

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Credit: Press Association
Credit: Press Association

Bili was then adopted by loving female chimps in Frankfurt who have experience in dealing with unwanted youngsters.

But he was relocated to a new home in Wuppertal Zoo at the recommendation of the Specialist Group of the European Zoological Community and the European Conservation Breeding Program last autumn.

Heart-wrenching images emerged showing Bili cowering in his enclosure.

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The bloodied fingers suggested Bili suffered savage attacks and had been bitten by twin males Azibo and Ayubu.

Animal lover Ms Brente launched a petition on Change.org in bid to get the chimp transferred to the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre near Bovington in Dorset.

The petition has reached almost 206,211 signatures in the past few days, over its 300,000 target.

Visit the website for more information and to sign the petition.

Topics: News

Amelia Jones
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