This Orphaned Orangutan Is Ready To Meet You

By Jim Bochnowski in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 1, 2015 9:45PM

(Courtesy of CZS)

Cancel your plans this weekend: a one year old orangutan named Kecil is making his debut at the Brookfield Zoo from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, and will be welcoming visitors every Saturday and Sunday thereafter. The announcement comes with an update on Kecil from the Zoo:

"Kecil is now in exploring mode, climbing the many vines available to see where they lead, and shaking them when our free flight birds land on them to watch them fly away. He has peered down from a vine to see the otter family in the river below. He seems to know now where Maggie probably is when they get separated and he goes on his own to find her. These are all positive behaviors that show us he is acclimating well."

(Courtesy of CZS)

Born at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio, Kecil was abandoned by his mother at an early age. After attempts to have his mother care for him, zookeepers tried to find an acceptable surrogate for the young ape. He was moved to the Milwaukee County Zoo, where efforts to find a surrogate were unsuccessful. In June of 2014, he was brought to Brookfield Zoo, where he met his surrogate mother, Maggie.

Over the course of the past year, the Zoo has been closely documenting Kecil's maturation and socialization, which you can see here. That is, if you're into pictures of adorable baby animals.

(Courtesy of CZS)