In Birthday Celebration of Orangutan, Philly Zoo Pushes Important Message
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Batu the orangutan celebrated her 3rd birthday Thursday at the Philadelphia Zoo.
PHILADELPHIA -
As Batu the orangutan celebrated her third birthday Thursday at the Philadelphia Zoo, zookeepers hoped to emphasize the risk for extinction orangutans face.
Batu was born October 2, 2009 to Sugi and Tua of the Philadelphia Zoo. Zookeepers say her birthday is part of the year-long celebration of endangered species at the Philadelphia Zoo. The zoo says it hopes to make an impact on saving orangutans during the year-long celebration.
Orangutans are found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
Scientists say there are 54,000 on Borneo and only 6,600 on Sumata. The zoo says those numbers could drop if deforestation continues at its current rate.
According to zookeepers, orangutans could be extinct in the wild, possibly by as early as 2025.
During the celebration, several children sang happy birthday to the 3-year-old orangutan and made birthday cards.
The zoo says the celebration will continue though the weekend at Batu's exhibit in the PECO Primate Reserve.
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Batu the orangutan celebrated her 3rd birthday Thursday at the Philadelphia Zoo.
