FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP/Getty ImagesBaby pygmy hippopotamus Lani eats a salad on May 17, 2014, at the Basel Zoo in Switzerland.
Remko De Waal, AFP/Getty ImagesA newborn western lowland gorilla is held by its mother at Artis Zoo in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on Jan. 22, 2016.
Linda Girardi / The Beacon-NewsBaby bison are born at Fermilab in Batavia.
Jens Meyer / APA young male Malayan tapir swims in the enclosure in the zoo in Leipzig, Germany, on June 15, 2016. The tapir was born June 2, 2016.
Oliver Berg, APA baby elephant is accompanied by other members of its herd as it walks through their open enclosure at the zoo in Cologne, Germany, on March 16, 2016, a day after being born.
Christian Charisius, AFP/Getty ImagesWalrus baby Loki relaxes next to her mother Polosa in the Hagenbeck zoo in Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 13, 2015. The walrus was born June 5.
Jens Wolf / APTwo white lion cubs sleep in a basket at a press event at the zoo in Magdeburg, Germany, on May 6, 2016. The young lions were born on April 26, 2016.
Michal Cizek, AFP/Getty ImagesA 2-month-old white tiger cub stands in its enclosure on April 25, 2016, at a zoo in Liberec, Czech Republic, the offspring of an 8-year-old tiger, Surya Bara. The four cubs were born Feb. 25, 2016.
Julie Larsen Maher, APA southern pudu fawn in its enclosure at the Queens Zoo in New York. The male southern pudu fawn, the world's smallest deer species, was born May 12, 2015, at the zoo.
Daniel Zupanc / AFP/Getty ImagesA baby sloth eats some lettuce as it hangs on its mother's belly in their enclosure at the Tiergarten Schoenbrunn zoo in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 13, 2016. The baby was born Nov. 18, but it just recently emerged after spending its early weeks hidden in its mother's soft coat.
Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert, AFP/Getty ImagesA baby elephant stands next to his mother on Jan. 18, 2016, at the Tierpark zoo in Berlin. The baby elephant, who was born at the zoo on Jan. 1, was named "Edgar."
Jean Francois Monier / AFP/Getty ImagesBaby giraffe "Kenai," right, born on Aug. 25, 2016, kisses his mother "Dioni" on Aug. 31 at the zoo of La Fleche, France.
Sandor Ujvari / APZahra, a four-week-old female white lion cub rests in her enlosure in Magan Zoo, a privately owned animal park, in Felsolajos, Hungary, on June 30, 2016. Zahra, who was born into a litter of four, was rejected by her mother because of an infectious disease.
Jens Meyer, APFreela and her six cheetah cubs in their enclosure at the zoo in Erfurt, Germany, on June 17, 2015. The cubs were born May 6, 2015.
Animal Adventure Park / APIn this photo provided by Animal Adventure Park in Binghamton, N.Y., a giraffe named April licks her newborn male calf on April 15, 2017. The birth was streamed online to an audience of more than a million viewers.
Grahm S. Jones, APA polar bear cub is tended to at the Columbus Zoo on Nov. 13, 2015, in Powell, Ohio. The central Ohio zoo said Friday that staff started hand-rearing the week-old female cub after her mother, Aurora, began taking breaks from caring for her. The cub was born on Nov. 6.
APAn ocelot kitten walks in its enclosure at the zoo in Buffalo, N.Y., onJan. 15, 2017. The zoo is asking the public to vote to name the kitten, born in November, either Javiar, Nico, Pablo or Tacito.
Joan Dittmann, Post-TribuneFour 9-week-old wolf cubs made their debut at Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, Ind., on July 22, 2015.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP/Getty ImagesA newborn American bison is pictured on June 2, 2016, at the zoological park in Amneville in western France.
Ken Bohn, APA zoo employee holds a male red-ruffed lemur on May 27, 2016, that was born May 18 at the San Diego Zoo's Primate Propagation Center. The rare red-ruffed lemur is an endangered primate species that is only found on the island of Madagascar.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP/Getty ImagesA newborn barbary sheep investigates its enclosure in Amneville, France, on April 5, 2016.
Jim Gehrz, TNSA male bison leaps in his enclosure on May 11, 2016 at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Minn. The calf, born April 30, is part of a herd in an exhibit along the zoo's Northern Trail and is also part of the Minnesota Conservation bison herd.
Petr David Josek, APA newborn baby hippo sits in its enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, on Feb. 24, 2016. The baby was born on Jan. 28, and is yet to be named.
Chris Gotshall / APOrca Takara helps guide her newborn to the water's surface at SeaWorld San Antonio on April 19, 2017.
Glen Stubbe, TNSA Malayan tapir calf expores his space at the Minnesota Zoo for about an hour with mom Bertie on Aug. 12, 2015, in Apple Valley, Minn. "Malayan tapirs are endangered, and this birth is a significant conservation achievement," said Tom Ness, Tropics Trail supervisor, in a statement from the zoo. "It's estimated that fewer than 1,500 exist in the world."
APIn this image released by the Zoo Aquarium de Madrid, a newly born giant panda cub lies in a cot where vets examined her Aug. 31, 2016. It is the first female in the history of the Spanish capital's zoo.
Zoltan Gergely Kelemen, APA 2-week old pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) undergoes a routine medical check in its enclosure in Szeged Nature Reserve in Szeged, Hungary, on May 10, 2016.
Matt Rourke / APA newborn baby western lowland gorilla looks up as it is held by its mother Honi during its debut at the Philadelphia Zoo in Philadelphia on Aug. 31, 2016. The unnamed baby gorilla was born Aug. 26.
Courtney Pedroza / Chicago TribuneAli, a 1-month-old western lowland gorilla, rests on the chest of her mother, Koola, at the Brookfield Zoo, on July 2, 2018, in Brookfield. Read her story here.
Peter Komka, APLion cubs cuddle in the Gyongyos Zoo in Gyongyos, Hungary, on Feb. 23, 2016. The yet unnamed male and two female cubs, the fourth litter of lioness Elza, were born Jan. 12.
AFP/Getty ImagesA polar bear cub born Nov. 3, 2016, meets the press at the Tierpark Berlin (Berlin zoo) on Jan. 13, 2017
Boudewijn Seapark / AFP-Getty ImagesA picture released by the Boudewijn Seapark Animal Park on May 12, 2014, shows newborn seal Conchita at the seapark in Bruges, Belgium. The seal is most likely female and was named after Austria's bearded transvestite and winner of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest Conchita Wurst.
Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert / AFP/Getty ImagesA Rothschild's giraffe baby stands next to its mother Jan. 16, 2017, at the zoo in Magdeburg, Germany. The male baby giraffe was born Jan. 10, 2017.
Jens Meyer / APThe newborn gorilla sleeps in the arms of her mother Kibara at the zoo in Leipzig, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017. The female baby gorilla was born on Dec. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
AFP/Getty ImagesThis baby penguin born Jan. 8, 2016, at the Cincinnati Zoo was named Bowie in honor of the 69th birthday of the late British musician David Bowie.
Rodney White / APAn unnamed, newborn eastern black rhino walks around with it's mother, Ayana, on Oct. 17, 2016, at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa.
Jose M. Osorio/Chicago TribuneAn unnamed male baby is held by mother Rollie at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on May 14, 2019. Read more about its birth here.
Robertus Pudyanto / Getty ImagesDamai, a 3-year-old Bornean orangutan, plays in a courtyard at Surabaya Zoo as he prepares to be released into the wild on May 19, 2014, in Surabaya, Indonesia. Two baby orangutans, brothers, were found in Kutai National Park in a critical condition having been abandoned by their mother on May 14.
Michal Cizek, AFP/Getty ImagesA zookeeper holds a baby of giant anteater in Prague Zoo on March 2, 2016. It was born Jan. 20 and is Prague Zoo's first anteater born in its breeding history.
Teresa Crawford / APA 4-day-old Grevy's zebra stands with her mother, Adia, in their habitat at the Lincoln Park Zoo on June 22, 2016, in Chicago. The zebra is native to eastern Africa and is endangered in the wild because of hunting and habitat loss. Lincoln Park Zoo is part of a nationwide conservation effort to save the animals.
Darrell Sapp/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via APA four-week old black rhino calf makes her first public appearance at the side of her mother Azizi at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in the Highland Park section of Pittsburgh, on April 14, 2017.
David Mattner, AFP/Getty ImagesA photo taken Oct. 11, 2015, and released Oct. 14, 2015, by the Monarto Zoo in Australia shows baby chimp Boon -- who was orphaned when his mother, Soona, died shortly after he was born Oct. 9, 2015 -- clings to his new adopted mother, Zombi.
Martin Meissner / APGorilla mother Changa Maidi holds her baby a day after she gave birth to it at the zoo in Muenster, Germany, on Dec. 8, 2016. The animal keepers were surprised when they saw the newborn wet Gorilla baby because Changa's pregnancy was undiscovered until Dec. 7.
Kevin Rivoli / APA pair of male red panda cubs are introduced during a news conference at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y., on Sept. 10, 2015. Director Ted Fox says the cubs, born at the end of June, will help ensure the survival of the endangered species.
Jens Kalaene / AFP/Getty ImagesEmployees at the zoo in Magdeburg, Germany, pet a 2-week-old South American tapir on Nov. 24, 2016. The still nameless female tapir baby is bottle-fed by her keepers, as her mother "Tala" had attacked her child.
Michal Cizek, AFP/Getty ImagesShinda, a western lowland gorilla, holds her new born as they rest at the Zoo in Prague on April 24, 2016. Shinda's baby was born April 23.
Vano Schlamov / AFP/Getty ImagesTwo white lion cubs born July 28 sleep at the Tbilisi zoo on Aug. 3, 2016.
Phil Velasquez, Chicago TribuneTwo of the five Mexican gray wolf puppies born at Brookfield Zoo on April 25, 2016, play in their habitat on May 24, 2016. The pups have begun to venture out on their own and guests are able to see them in their habitat at the zoo's Regenstein Wolf Woods.
Anthony Souffle, Chicago TribuneA Hoffman's two-toed sloth born in late July licks its mother, 21-year-old Hersey, as they rest together Aug. 5, 2015, at Lincoln Park Zoo's Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House in Chicago.
David Proeber, APTwo baby snow leopards are introduced to the public May 28, 2015, at Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Ill. The cubs, born May 6, are the offspring of the zoo's two 4-year old adult snow leopards, Rilu and Hima.
Matthias Schrader, APA female mandrill monkey, Kaduna, feeds her newborn male, Pinto, at Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich, Germany, on July 22, 2015.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP/Getty ImagesBayami, a newborn white rhinoceros, stands next to its mother at the zoological park in Amneville, France, on July 13, 2016.
THOMAS COEX / AFP/Getty ImagesA two-day old giraffe calf stands at the Jerusalem Biblical zoo on February 24, 2016. The calf was born from five-year old parents. / AFP / THOMAS COEXTHOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty ImagesA recently born and unnamed baby female Masai giraffe calf stands with her mother Hasina in its enclosure at the Los Angeles zoo in California on Nov. 22, 2016.
Patrick Pleul, AFP/Getty ImagesRing-tailed lemur babies cling to their mother at the zoo in Cottbus, Germany, on May 11, 2016. Three ring-tailed lemurs were born at the zoo in recent weeks.
Kate Barszczowski / APThree maned wolf cubs are seen Jan. 11, 2017, at the Little Rock Zoo. The cubs, one male and two females, were born Dec. 21. Maned wolves are native to South America.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP/Getty ImagesA new born albinos wallaby is pictured its mother's pouch at the zoo in Amneville, France, on April 5, 2016.
Menahem Kahana, AFP/Getty ImagesA newborn female square-lipped rhinoceros is seen with her 6-year-old-mother, Keren, at the Ramat Gan Safari zoo near Tel Aviv, Israel, on Aug. 24, 2015. The white rhino was born Aug. 23.
Zane Shupp / WFMZ-TV via APThe Lehigh Valley Zoo introduces two 3-week-old African penguin chicks that were the first ever born at the Schnecksville, Pa., preserve on Oct. 12, 2016, in this image made from video.
Raul Arboleda / AFP/Getty ImagesA Titi Pigmeo born a month ago hangs from its mother at Santa Fe Zooin in Medellin, Colombia, on Feb. 8, 2017.
Petr David Josek / APA newborn Asian elephant baby stands next to its mother Tamara in their enclosure at the zoo in Prague, Czech Republic, on Oct. 8, 2016. The mother Tamara gave birth to the male calf on Oct. 5. It doesn't have a name yet.
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden / APCincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden keeper Amanda Weisel holds a newborn Malayan tiger cub in the zoo's nursery in Cincinnati on Feb. 7, 2017. A Malayan tiger named Cinta gave birth to three cubs Feb. 3, 2017, and zoo officials say that because the first-time mother's maternal instincts didn't kick in, employees in the zoo's nursery will keep the cubs warm and feed them before they are placed in an outdoor habitat.
Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP/Getty ImagesNewborn white lion cubs are pictured with their mother at the zoo in Amneville, France, on April 5, 2016.
APA giant panda cub, born in June at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, got a checkup on July 22, 2017.
Bullit Marquez / APA caretaker displays seven newly hatched Philippine reticulated pythons July 14, 2016, recently born at the Malabon Zoo in Malabon, Philippines.
Jose Casta-Ares / AFP-Getty ImagesA white lion is seen at the Parque Loro zoo in Puebla, Mexico, on Sept. 12, 2015. This is one of three white lions born in captivity, two of which already have been donated or delivered under exchange agreements with other zoos in Mexico.
Hogle Zoo, APThree new cubs make their debut at the lion den at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City on March 7, 2016. The cubs were born Feb. 24: two boys and one girl. Each cub weighed about two pounds when they were born.
Julie Larsen Maher / APA "little penguin" chick is shown in its habitat at the Bronx Zoo in New York on July 25, 2016. Hatched on May 10, 2016, it is the first "little penguin" born there in the zoo's 120-year history.
APA newborn baby giraffe is nuzzled by its mother, Audrey, in Santa Barbara, Calif., on March 28, 2016. The unnamed Masai giraffe was born March 26.
Christopher Millette / Erie Times-NewsA lynx kitten plays in its enclosure on the first day the kittens were outside of their enclosed den and available for the public to see on Oct. 1, 2015, at the Erie Zoo in Erie, Pa. The three kittens were born June 30, 2015.
Czarek Sokolowski / APThree rare newborn white tigers lay with their mother Mandzi just hours after they were born at the private Zoo Safari in Borysew, Poland, on Sept. 22, 2016.
Peter Byrne, APA zookeeper holds 2-day-old Quaver, left, and Cheeto, newly hatched Humboldt penguin chicks on April 5, 2016, at Chester Zoo, in Chester England.
Richard Vogel / APA female Masai baby giraffe born frolics in her enclosure during her public debut at the Los Angeles Zoo on July 26, 2017. Still without a name, the giraffe already stands about six feet tall and weighs 156 pounds.
Jason Hoekema / APA month-old Galapagos tortoise is held by a zookeeper June 21, 2016, at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. The zoo is currently waiting for several more eggs to hatch, incubating many to encourage the birth of females in order to help sustain the endangered species.
Paul Ellis / AFP/Getty ImagesMurchison, a baby Rothschild's giraffe, receives attention from another giraffe as he ventures out of the Giraffe House at Chester Zoo in Chester, England, on Jan. 19, 2017, for the first time. The zoo celebrated the birth of the rare Rothschild's giraffe calf, whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than 1,600 in its native Kenya and Uganda.
Courtney Pedroza / Chicago TribuneAli, a 1-month-old western lowland gorilla, pushes against her mom, Koola, at the Brookfield Zoo, on July 2, 2018, in Brookfield.
Raul Arboleda / AFP/Getty ImagesA King vulture chick -- born after its egg was artificially incubated for 58 days -- is seen at Santa Fe Zoo in Medellin, Colombia, on June 17, 2016.
Fred Squillante / APLion cubs play during their first public appearance at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio on Sept. 23, 2015. The cubs were the first of two litters born at the zoo in August.
Michael Lawrence Taylor / AFP-Getty ImagesA baby brushtail possum in Tiwi Islands in the northern territory of Australia on June 4, 2014.
Courtesy of the Maryland Zoo in BaltimoreJess, right, is one of the two female sitatunga, a species of antelope found in Central Africa, born in December at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Jess was born Dec. 7; Noel was born on Christmas, of course.
Paul Fahy / AFP/Getty ImagesThis handout photo released by the Taronga Zoo on Nov. 17, 2016, shows a keeper carrying a baby puggle in Sydney. Taronga Zoo is celebrating its first successful short-beaked Echidna births in nearly 30 years, with keepers monitoring the progress of three healthy echidna puggles.
Steven L. Gotz / APNewly born baby warthogs appear at the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, Calif., on June 6, 2016.
Attila Balazs / APA female mantled guereza holds its 4-day-old baby in the Nyiregyhaza Animal Park in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, on Dec. 28, 2016.
Jim Schulz / APSophia, a 35-year-old Bornean orangutan, holds her 2-week-old daughter at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., in this photo provided by the Chicago Zoological Society on Jan. 1, 2017. The unnamed infant was born Dec. 20, 2016.
Yorgos Karahalis / APAndrea Czerny, employee of the Attica Zoological Park, holds five-week-old baby jaguars Lucky, left, and Jucky inside the park in Spata, Greece, on July 16, 2016.
Jeff Chiu, APA female giraffe calf is shown under her mother Barbro at the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens in San Francisco, on April 12, 2016. According to the San Francisco Zoo, the calf, which has not yet been named, is already more than six-feet tall and took its first steps within 30 minutes of its birth on April 8, 2016.
Xue Yubin, APOne of the twin panda cubs born June 22, 2015, in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan province.
Glen Stubbe / APA 3-day-old calf stands with her mother, Clover, at the Como Zoo on Aug. 27, 2015, in St. Paul, Minn. The yet-to-be named female was born Aug. 24, the sixth calf for Clover. The newborn stood 5-foot-8 and weighed 135 pounds.
Anthony Souffle, Chicago TribuneA baby Bactrain camel investigates his outdoor enclosure during his third day on public display May 20, 2016, at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The baby was born May 9 and is the first successful offspring for Nasan and her mate Scooter as well as the first camel calf born at Lincoln Park Zoo since 1998.
Jochen Lubke / AFP/Getty ImagesA group of elephants stand around their youngest family members at the zoo in Hanover, Germany, on Dec. 28, 2016.
Antonio Perez / Chicago TribuneWestern lowland gorilla Kamba, 11, cuddles her 1-day-old baby Zachary at Brookfield Zoo's Tropic World on Sept. 24, 2015.
APBaby lemurs huddle together at the Philadelphia Zoo in this photo released March 24, 2016. The babies were born in February to 9-year-old Kiaka and 10-year-old Huey, weighing in at a combined one-third of a pound. The lemurs are critically endangered in their native home of Madagascar, but the species has thrived in captivity.
Pedro Pardo, AFP/Getty ImagesA jaguar cub is held by an employee at the Reino Animal zoo in Teotihuacan, Mexico, on June 16, 2016. Three jaguars were born in captivity May 23.
Jeremy Enlow, APA male western lowland gorilla born Dec. 5, 2015, at the zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, gazes upward at his mother. The yet-to-be-named ape born to first-time parents Gracie and Elmo is the first birth of a western lowland gorilla at the Fort Worth Zoo.
Michael Probst / APA 6-day-old gorilla baby lies in the arms of its mother Shira at the zoo in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sept. 21, 2016.
Boglarka Bodnar / APTwo Siberian tiger cubs snarl on an examination table during a routine medical check in Veszprem Zoo in Veszprem, Hungary, on June 15, 2016. The cubs were born at the zoo two weeks earlier.
Chris Walker, Chicago TribuneTwo pups from a litter born in late May emerge June 30, 2015, from their den at Brookfield Zoo. The birth of the pups from the zoo's only two Mexican gray wolves is the first for this subspecies at Brookfield and may help support conservation efforts by increasing the genetic diversity. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first listed the Mexican gray wolves on the endangered species list in 1976.
Czarek Sokolowski / APTwo rare, 4-day-old white lion cubs are pictured at the private Zoo Safari in Borysew, Poland, on Sept. 22, 2016. All together, four cubs were born Sept. 18, 2016, to 5-year-old Azira.
Sebastien Bozon / AFP/Getty ImagesA picture taken on December 12, 2016 at the A dwarf crocodile named Oscar swims in its exhibit at the Mulhouse zoo in eastern France on Dec. 12, 2016.
FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP/Getty Images
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Baby pygmy hippopotamus Lani eats a salad on May 17, 2014, at the Basel Zoo in Switzerland.
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Anyone who doubts the importance of early maternal care need only meet Kecil.
The 6-month-old male orangutan came to Brookfield Zoo last month to bond with Maggie, a 53-year-old orangutan. Maggie may be older than typical mothers, but she turned out to be the perfect candidate to be Kecil’s surrogate. Not only did she have a mellow disposition on her resume, but also some substitute mothering experience — a rare combination.
“She’s just very calm, very stable,” said Jay Petersen, curator of primates and carnivores for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo. “Animals that don’t get reared right can grow up a little more nervous and a little less patient than those who do.”
Kecil (pronounced Ka-cheel) had a rocky start. After he was born at the Toledo Zoo in January, his birth mother, Yasmin, showed little interest following a difficult delivery. So after tireless efforts — which included placement in private quarters — the veterinary team decided it would be best for the 4-month-old to be placed with a surrogate at another zoo.
The Milwaukee County Zoo stepped in, hoping that an orangutan named MJ would provide the crucial attachment. But a month in, Kecil was not getting the necessary TLC to become a well-adjusted adult, experts said.
“In our early years, we learn how to relate, how to stand up for ourselves, how to get along with others,” Petersen said. “It’s the same with apes. … If they don’t get that early nurturing, they can suffer complications their entire lives.”
Brookfield Zoo offered a home, and Kecil arrived June 20. Maggie’s parenting skills may be a bit rusty — her last surrogacy stint ended in 2002 — but she still has the touch, said Carol Sodaro, husbandry adviser to the American Zoological Association’s Orangutan Species Survival Plan, who was involved in discussions about Kecil’s care.
“You can never predict what animals will do, but Maggie is an exceptional female,” she said. “I have no doubts the two will continue to bond.”
A call for a surrogate orangutan goes out about every three to five years, and the need to move a baby a second time has only presented itself once before, said Sodaro, who has 37 years of experience working with the primates. If all things go according to plan, the public will meet Kecil sometime in early 2015.
Twitter @bmrubin
