Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Prague zoo's month-old Sumatran orangutan finally has a name

Prague’s zoo says it's finally completed the process of naming a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan born in the park on Nov 17

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 16 December 2020 17:03 GMT
APTOPIX Czech Republic Orangutans
APTOPIX Czech Republic Orangutans (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

He’s called Pustakawan, or Kawi, if you wish.

Prague’s zoo said on Wednesday it has finally completed the process of naming a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan baby born on its premises on Nov 17.

It took a while, because the zookeepers had to go through more than 4,000 proposals submitted by members of the public.

Kawi is the fourth baby for his mother, Mawar, and the first for father Pagy.

His name means Librarian in Indonesian, zoo officials said. Librarian was the name of an orangutan in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series of fantasy novels.

The species has been drastically reduced by hunting and by destruction of its forest habitat. Only around 14,000 of the great apes with long red hair are believed to exist in the wild.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in