New mom zookeeper teaches orangutan how to breastfeed

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This is an amazing story of an orangutan named Zoe, who needed help breastfeeding her new baby. Her firstborn had to be hand raised by zookeepers because Zoe was unsuccessful in nursing him. Zoo staff at Metro Richmond Zoo, upon discovering that Zoe was pregnant again, were determined to facilitate a more successful breastfeeding experience this time. During her pregnancy, they showed Zoe videos of orangutans taking care of their babies, and when Zoe's baby was born, zookeeper and new mom Whitlee Turner volunteered to show Zoe the ropes. Zoe was rapt while Whitlee explained how she breastfed her own infant. Shortly after Whitlee's demonstration, Zoe began breastfeeding her new baby boy, and the zoo is proud to report that Zoe and her boy are both healthy, and are bonding well.