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The Denver Zoo is home to a new father, and they had a special guest help make the big announcement.
On Monday, zoo officials teased that the DNA results were in, and that they were planning to announce the father of Siska, their 4-month-old female Sumatran orangutan. The paternity debate was between 30-year-old Berani and 16-year-old Jaya.
Then on Tuesday, the zoo made the big announcement with the help of an iconic guest.
Fresh off receiving the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Honor, television host Maury Povich, dressed in a suit and bow tie, announced the identity of Siska’s father.
“Now, we want to thank the Denver Zoo for everything they do, but this is really important,” said Povich before pulling the results out of the envelope. “When it comes to the orangutan, 4-month-old Siska — Berani, you are the father.”
The video then shows zoo staffers cheering for 30-year-old dad.
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(Courtesy: The Denver Zoo) -
(Courtesy: The Denver Zoo)
Following her birth in late August, Siksa became the seventh orangutan to join the Denver Zoo. She’s the first baby orangutan born to Eirina, 16, who originally came to the Denver Zoo from Germany in 2016.
According to the Denver Zoo’s website, Berani lives in a group with three other females, and was approved for breeding through the Sumatran Orangutan Species Survival Plan. The four orangutans share time in the exhibit and frequently interact with each other.
The Denver Zoo said Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered, with only around 9,200 left in the wild.
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