Greenville Zoo Announces Name of Baby Sumatran Orangutan

The Greenville Zoo’s baby Sumatran orangutan will be called Adira, which is short for Adiratna, an Indonesian name meaning “beautiful jewel.”

On Wednesday, August 22, the Greenville Zoo staff physically introduced Lana and her baby for the first time since the baby was born on August 7. Since the introduction, the staff has been monitoring the pair throughout the day and overnight, noting when and how long the baby nurses, Lana’s behavior, the baby’s behavior and anything else that occurs to ensure that Lana is taking appropriate care of the infant.

Following the baby’s birth, it was important to make sure that Lana’s sutures stayed intact, that she did not develop any infections and that she recovered mentally from the stress of the immobilization, anesthesia and surgery before she was tasked with caring for the baby. During this two-week period, the baby was cared for and monitored by multiple zoo staff members as well as local physicians who participated in her birth or had been part of the Birth Management Team. The team recently met and decided that Lana was healthy and ready to begin caring for her infant.

The staff will continue to monitor them during the day and via cameras during the night, but at this point, the team has a high level of confidence in Lana and is comfortable with the situation.