Chester Zoo: Rare Borneo orangutan born at zoo

Mum Sarikei has been looking after her new baby

A rare orangutan has been born at Chester Zoo.

The new baby is a Bornean orangutan which is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list.

The baby was born on 31 August to parents Sarikei and Willie, and zoo haven't yet found out the gender.

The zoo said the birth was a "positive step" for the species.

The gender of the newborn is not yet known

"What's most important though is that there's another healthy Bornean orangutan on the planet," said Mark Brayshaw, head of mammals.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world's largest global environmental network and it places species into categories of increasing risk.

Bornean orangutans are listed as critically endangered in the wild, which mean they are at high risk of becoming extinct because of habitat loss and illegal hunting.

Therefore the zoo are very excited and celebrating the arrival.

"The birth of an animal that's so rare is always something to celebrate and seeing the new baby in the arms of mum Sarikei is incredibly special," said Brayshaw.

The new-born orangutan is now part of a European-wide conservation breeding programme, which the zoo says "aims to boost the population of the rare primates in conservation zoo."