Three weeks after announcing the birth of baby Sumatran orangutan Ayaan, Singapore Zoo has revealed the extraordinary efforts that went into delivering the critically endangered infant.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (16 June), Mandai Wildlife Reserve shared behind-the-scenes footage of the historic caesarean section (C-section).
With both Ayaan and his mother, Chomel, surviving the high-risk procedure, it is believed to be the first documented case of its kind.
According to Dr Heng Yirui, Deputy Vice President of Veterinary Healthcare and Scientific Programmes at Mandai Wildlife Group, Chomel’s condition was discovered after she began bleeding in her den.
Further investigations confirmed she had placenta praevia, a condition that would have made natural delivery life-threatening.
“If Chomel had gone through natural delivery, her baby would have torn through her placenta, resulting in uncontrollable haemorrhage,” he explained in the video.
Following discussions among the veterinary team, they concluded that a planned C-section offered the best chance of survival for both mother and baby.
The team also prepared for the possibility of severe blood loss by identifying a compatible blood donor beforehand.
Fortunately, Chomel’s cousin and foster daughter, Ah Meng, turned out to be a blood match.
The donated blood proved crucial during surgery, as Chomel lost a significant amount of blood during the procedure.
Although the team completed the operation swiftly, Ayaan’s arrival was far from straightforward.
Source: Mandai Wildlife Group
Dr Heng recalled that Chomel arrived at the wildlife hospital within 10 minutes, followed by another 40 minutes of surgical preparations. Just 20 minutes into the surgery, Ayaan was delivered.
However, the newborn failed to breathe immediately.
The veterinary team had initially planned to wait only two to three minutes before declaring the infant dead if resuscitation efforts failed.
Instead, the resuscitation team took a full seven minutes in an attempt to get Ayaan to take his first breath.
Source: Mandai Wildlife Group
Dr Heng described the operation as the culmination of years of preparation and teamwork.
We’re all glad that it’s over, and that both mother and child are healthy and well.
Ayaan’s birth was years in the making.
According to an earlier press release, Chomel and 48-year-old male orangutan Charlie had been paired under a regional breeding programme since 2018.
However, multiple attempts failed to produce a pregnancy.
Source: Mandai Wildlife Group
After detailed hormone monitoring and three rounds of artificial insemination between 2022 and 2025, the third attempt was finally successful.
When complications arose during the pregnancy in January this year, the veterinary and animal care teams opted for a C-section in March.
This allowed them to prepare and plan for the rare surgery.
Human obstetricians and neonatal specialists also provided real-time consultation during the operation, given the close similarities between human and orangutan anatomy.
Now three-month-old, Ayaan has recovered well and is growing stronger under Chomel’s care.
The pair has since returned to the Singapore Zoo orangutan exhibit, where visitors can see the young orangutan in his mother’s arms.
Visitors can see the mother and infant alongside Ah Meng and Niu Li from Thursdays to Sundays, and on public holidays.
From Mondays to Wednesdays, it will be Charlie and Riau at the exhibit.
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Featured image adapted from Mandai Wildlife Group.