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When it comes to announcing the result of a paternity test – even for the Denver Zoo’s baby orangutan – there are few more qualified than Maury Povich.
The longtime talk show host announced the paternity of Siska, the zoo’s 4-month-old Sumatran orangutan, in a TikTok posted on the Denver Zoo’s account Tuesday.
“When it comes to the orangutan, 4-month-old Siska – Berani, you are the father!” Povich said, as the video cut to cheering zoo staff.
Siska was born on Aug. 27 to first-time mom Eirina. It took a while for caretakers to get close enough to get a hair sample to determine who the father was, spokesperson Jake Kubié said.
“When Siska was born we did not know if it was either Berani or Jaya, who were both potential mates,” Kubié said. “We weren’t able to get close enough to the baby for a few months to get a hair sample because we do everything we can to leave mom and baby alone until we see that opportunity.”
Kubié found a contact for Povich’s team through some online sleuthing and was soon connected with his executive assistant.
“It turns out they are really nice people and Maury was an amazing sport to do this for us,” Kubié said.
Siska is the Denver Zoo’s sixth orangutan and already has a sibling – Berani is also the father to Cerah, who was born in 2018.
Siska’s birth was a “momentous occasion” for the zoo and global conservation community as Sumatran orangutans are a critically endangered species, according to zoo officials.
She was named after Fransiska Sulistyo, a renowned orangutan veterinarian, conservationist and researcher.
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