Orang-utan deaths cast gloom over zoo

Delight turned to despair at Auckland Zoo as a mother orang-utan and her 5-day-old baby died.

Dara, a 23-year-old orang-utan, gave birth on Thursday morning but staff noticed she was trembling and unwell on Friday and she was anaesthetised by dart gun.

After being given antibiotics, calcium and fluids, Dara was returned to her cage on Saturday but she rolled on the baby and suffocated it.

Zoo curator and acting director Stephen Standley said: "Staff were watching when she rolled on the baby, but obviously you can't just rush in and take a baby from an orang-utan."

By Sunday morning Dara was obviously distressed and zoo vets decided to use gas instead of a dart to anaesthetise her again.

However, once the gas was applied she died.