When Tara the orangutan gave birth at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo in January, her 11-year-old daughter Asmara was watching. That was the plan.
Asmara has been in maternal training for some time, and the zoo intensified it once staff learned Tara was pregnant. The idea is that Asmara learns mothering the way a wild orangutan would, by watching her own mother do it.
Two behaviors before the birth
“Maternal training with Asmara was an ongoing practice for quite some time,” said Angie Selzer, senior animal care specialist and coordinator of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Orangutan Species Survival Plan. “When we discovered Tara, Asmara’s mother, was pregnant, we trained heavily with both orangutans: We worked with Tara to reinforce maternal behaviors and with Asmara in the hope that she will be ready when it comes time to start her own family.”
The team wanted two behaviors mastered before the baby arrived. The first was presenting, in which an orangutan safely holds the infant out for the care team to examine. The second was bottle feeding, where the mother presents and holds the baby while a keeper feeds it, for use if nursing is not an option.
Asmara has watched Tara take part in her own training since infancy, and the trust between her mother and the care team is part of what the zoo is trying to pass down.
Tara sets the pace
Tara gave birth to a healthy girl named Raya on January 11, 2026, and began nursing immediately under the watch of the care team and of Asmara.
“In the wild, orangutan babies stay with their mother for about eleven years,” said Emily Fryda, an animal care specialist. “During that time, daughters learn by watching. Now, Tara is showing her the ropes of what maternal behavior looks like. This experience will help Asmara mature and prepare her for motherhood one day.”
Tara controls the interactions. She sets boundaries when Asmara gets too enthusiastic and invites her in when she wants to. One sign of progress the keepers point to is the two of them grooming Raya together.
“We continuously monitor Tara and let her lead,” Selzer said. “Mom is in charge and we trust her.”
