Touching moment sweet baby orangutan due for pioneering surgery gets cuddles from mum Blackpool Zoo

Adorable footage (click to play above) shows 14-month old Jarang the orangutan being cuddled by his mum, Jingga, at Blackpool Zoo. Jarang, the young Bornean orangutan in the video, was born in June 2023 and is due to undergo major surgery.

Earlier this year, keepers at Blackpool Zoo revealed infant orangutan Jarang as well as having developmental delays, he was born with a bilateral scrotal hernia that was hampering his mobility.

After consulting with experts from across the UK and beyond, including veterinary staff and specialist paediatricians, it was concluded that Jarang would need surgery which took place over the summer.

While little Jarang came through the operation and recovered well under the care of his mother, Jingga, unfortunately it was not successful and he still has the hernia.

Now a decision has been made for him to have pioneering surgery rarely performed on orangutans.

A spokesman from Blackpool Zoo said: “Further discussions between our team and professionals from a wide variety of medical disciplines have taken place and it has been agreed that further surgery is necessary to give Jarang the best possible chance of becoming more mobile.

“Led by a specialist surgeon, this is a pioneering operation that is rarely performed on orangutans. It does still come with risks, but we are hopeful that it will be a success and we will keep you updated on his progress.”

Their father, Kawan, came to the zoo in 2022, from Apenheul Zoo in the Netherlands as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). Jarang was the first baby orangutan to arrive after a 20 year wait.

The Bornean orangutan was classified as critically endangered in July 2016 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  This means that this species now faces an “extremely high” risk of extinction in the wild.

The video was taken by Marie Stell, a regular visitor to the zoo.