Baby orangutan dies at Zoo Atlanta

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By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A baby orangutan at Zoo Atlanta who has been sickly since soon after his birth on March 30 was euthanized Thursday.

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Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com The Bornean orangutan named Sandar could not survive without the help of supplemental oxygen and a feeding tube.

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The Bornean orangutan named Sandar had survived only with the help of supplemental oxygen and a feeding tube, zoo spokeswoman Keisha Hines said. Veterinarians decided to end his life because his condition was deteriorating and he had no hope of improvement, Hines said.

The orangutan suffered physical and developmental problems and "would never have survived this long in the wild," said Dwight Lawson, a senior vice president at the zoo.

Sandar was born to Miri, an 18-year-old orangutan. Veterinarians had hoped to reunite him with her, and with father Sulango and brother Satu, 6. He would have relied upon Miri to teach him basic skills, such as foraging, Hines said, adding that orangutans have longer dependent childhoods than any species except humans.

A necropsy will be performed at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine.