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Bye, bye Rieke. Baby orangutan on the move

February 23, 2015

The baby orangutan Rieke has left the Berlin Zoo. Her new home is now Monkey World in the UK, the world's largest Rescue Centre for great apes. Here, the baby girl will enjoy a humane and comfortable upbringing.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Eg9d
Orang utan Baby Rieke Berlin Zoo
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch

Affe Rieke

Rieke was brought to England by a special vehicle, accompanied by a veterinary surgeon and a nurse. The six week old orangutan will live at Monkey World in Wool (in Dorset) amidst 250 other monkeys. The centre is also home to a small Sumatran orangutan named Bula Mata, only five months of age. "We are pleased that Rieke gets not only a new home amongst her own species, but also a playmate around her own age," says zoo keeper Christian Aust.

In Berlin Rieke was abandoned by her mother after her birth at the beginning of January, and zoo staff were forced to move the baby onto a bottle. The orangutan quickly became a crowd favorite, with Berliners submitting more than 300 name suggestions - from which Rieke was selected. Last weekend visitors queued for hours to get a last glimpse at the baby monkey.

ks/jt (dpa, rbb)