Baby orangutan dies

Credit: Zoo Atlanta

Sandar, a 3-month-old orangutan at Zoo Atlanta who had been ill since birth was euthanized July 1, the zoo said.

The male Bornean orangutan was born March 30 to mother Miri and father Sulango. Zoo officials said the Animal Management and Veterinary Teams made the decision to euthanize “based on a progressive deterioration in his condition over the last two weeks and no hope of improvement in his prognosis.”

Sandar had been under round-the-clock care by zoo veterinarians and nurses from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“The Zoo staff and the many dedicated nurses, doctors and specialists from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta went above and beyond the call in doing everything possible to combat Sandar’s many challenges and health complications. With his physical and developmental problems, he would never have survived this long in the wild,” Dr. Dwight Lawson, Senior Vice President of Collections, Education and Conservation for Zoo Atlanta, said in a statement.

Shortly after birth, Sandar was removed from his parents shortly after birth for hand-rearing. The zoo said he experienced a succession of illnesses and needed supplemental oxygen and a feeding tube.

A necropsy will be performed at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, as is customary after zoo deaths.