Help name Paignton Zoo's orang utan baby

Paignton Zoo is inviting visitors to help name its baby orang utan. The female baby was born on Thursday 11 April.

“Her keepers have chosen a shortlist of names. We have a collecting box in the foyer with eight slots – people can vote for the name or names they like the best. This way, everyone gets to vote and we raise money for conservation at the same time.”

The names are: Bethari, meaning goddess; Elok (beautiful, awesome, jewel); Intan (diamond); Kes (patience); Lintang (star); Ratih (goddess of beauty); Tatau (a place in Sarawak where the baby’s great grandmother Tjantike came from) and Utari (patient).

The Bornean orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus) is threatened by hunting, the pet trade and the destruction of its rainforest habitat. Forest is being destroyed to create palm oil plantations. Given the declining populations, measures such as switching to alternative oil products and maintaining sustainable populations of orang utans in zoos are becoming ever more important. Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts are working to become palm-oil free sites.

Curator of Mammals Neil Bemment is vice-coordinator of the orang utan European Endangered species Programme, which coordinates the efforts of top European zoos to conserve the species.

Paignton Zoo’s group of Bornean orang-utans is made up of male Demo (aged 14) and females Gambira (16), Chinta (22) and Mali (18). Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is a registered charity.

For more information go to www.paigntonzoo.org.uk or ring 0844 474 2222.