Dave Parsons, Denver Zoo
The
Denver Zoo welcomed its
first baby orangutan in a quarter century on June 19. However, the little one's first few weeks have been anything but smooth sailing.
Just 11 days after birth,
Hesty had to be placed in an incubator by the zoo's primate care team. The baby hadn't been nursing, according to the Denver Zoo, and even though the staff had been doing all they could to get Hesty nursing on her own, they found her nearly unresponsive and severely dehydrated on July 1. At that point, they knew the best thing for the baby was to put her in an incubator near her mother's quarters so they could still see each other while Hesty received the care she needed.
Hesty almost doubled her weight over the next 18 days under the zoo staff's careful eye, while her mother watched closely from her enclosure. Hesty was reunited with her mom on July 19. She still didn't know how to nurse, however, so the staff sedated her mother and trained Hesty on the basics of nursing. She seems to have it down pat these days, but the staff is still monitoring the baby 24 hours a day, and are ready with formula just in case. To see an adorable video of Hesty and her mom, go
here.
On the off chance that little Hesty doesn't bring enough cute to the table for you, check out the adorable animals in the gallery below!
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Cutest Baby Animals of 2010 (so far!)
We've got baby fever. Baby animal fever, that is! Cute, cuddly and curious, these itty-bitty babies stole our hearts before we knew what hit us.
Denver Zoo
Cute Baby Animals
This 6-week-old white tiger cub was born on March 8, 2010 at the Serengeti-Park in Hodenhagen, Germany. Unfortunately, this cub and its siblings were rejected by their parents. But don't worry; they are being raised by the zookeepers. And if they need someone to take on cuddling duties, we'll be there in a jiffy!
Cute Baby Animals
Meet Einstein, the miniature horse foal who very well might get the Guinness World Record for world's smallest horse. Born on April 22 in New Hampshire, he weighed only six pounds and stood a little over one foot tall. How does he pack so much cuteness into such a little package?
Cute Baby Animals
The baby, born January 5 at the Budapest Zoo, is nine days old in this picture but already looks quite intelligent. Or maybe he's just good at striking a pose for the camera. Mom seems to know a thing or two about it!
Cute Baby Animals
At just over 5 weeks old, these two ring-tailed lemur babies already share their mama's distinctively adorable markings. They were born in the Frankfurt/Main Zoo in western Germany on February 11.
Cute Baby Animals
Try as they might, these month-old lion cubs at the Ramat Gan Zoo near Tel Aviv just can't scare us away... yet. They were born at the end of January, so although they're nothing but cuddly in this picture, we're guessing they'll be plenty scary in no time at all.
Cute Baby Animals
This isn't just some pig off the farm; it's a Parisian piglet, proudly prancing his way through this year's agricultural fair. Do you think we should tell him he's got a little something on his face?
Cute Baby Animals
Lilly, the little white lion pictured here at 2 weeks old, was born on February 8 at the Mystic Monkeys & Feathers Wildlife Park in South Africa.
Cute Baby Animals
This red-necked wallaby, photographed at a zoo in Hanover, Germany on March 19, will be perfectly happy to remain in her mother's pouch for a few more months. We're sure zoo visitors can't wait to see the little one hopping about!
Cute Baby Animals
With anteaters at risk of becoming extinct, this little fella -- the first of its kind born in captivity -- has folks celebrating! It's pictured here at the zoo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on March 9, 2010.
Cute Baby Animals
Rescued by the Secret World Wildlife Rescue centre in Somerset England on April 24, this little fox with the soulful eyes appears to have landed with a good crowd. In this picture, he's being held by Brian May, founding member of Queen and a proud supporter of animal causes in the U.K.
Cute Baby Animals
Time-Lapse Tortoise Noms Salad
