Ayaan, Singapore Zoo’s first orangutan born through artificial insemination, makes his public debut on Thursday (May 21) at the zoo’s orangutan exhibit.
The male Sumatran orangutan was delivered by Caesarean section on March 18, after his mother, Chomel, developed placenta praevia, a condition in which the placenta sits over the birth canal.
Mandai Wildlife Group believes the case is the first documented instance globally of an orangutan birth involving placenta praevia in which both mother and infant survived.
It is also the first successful artificial insemination (AI) birth of an orangutan at the Singapore Zoo, and the first Caesarean section the group has performed on the species.
Ayaan, whose name means “blessing” in Arabic, was symbolically adopted by SMRT Corporation on May 20 at a ceremony held at the orangutan exhibit.
Years-long effort to save a genetic line
The road to his birth began in 2018.
His father Charlie, a 48-year-old Sumatran orangutan, carries a genetic profile that is unrepresented in the managed population of the species.
The pairing of Charlie and Chomel was recommended under the Southeast Asian Zoos and Aquariums Association (SEAZA) Species Management Programme, a regional cooperative breeding programme co-coordinated by Mandai Wildlife Group.
Part of the challenge was Charlie himself.
“He doesn’t exhibit much interest in Chomel. We don’t know why,” Wendy Chua, curator of animal data management and transactions and primates and SEAZA species co-coordinator for orangutan, told AsiaOne, adding that it could be related to his upbringing.
Despite multiple attempts at pairing since 2018, it did not result in a successful conception, and the team turned to assisted reproductive methods.
“Charlie do not have any living descendant. He doesn’t have any offspring under his name that carries on his genetic line,” said Chua.
Chomel was chosen not just for genetic compatibility, but also for her temperament and strong maternal instinct.
She had previously raised two of her own offspring, Bino and Putra, and later adopted Khansa and the younger Ah Meng, after they lost their biological mothers.
“From the beginning, the goal was to give Charlie’s genetic line the best chance of continuing. Without a successful breeding, his line would have been lost,” Chua said.
Years of trust-building made it possible.
The animal care team had conditioned Chomel over the years to voluntarily take part in ultrasounds, blood draws and health checks.
That enabled detailed hormone profiling from September 2021 to April 2023, allowing for a more targeted approach to reproductive management.
Three AI attempts followed: in May 2022, March 2023 and July 2025. The third was successful.
A high-risk pregnancy, and a rare surgery
The pregnancy progressed well until January 2026, when Chomel experienced two episodes of notable vaginal bleeding. The placenta praevia diagnosis followed, raising the risk of severe bleeding and potentially preventing a natural delivery.
The team monitored her around the clock, while ultrasound confirmed Ayaan’s heartbeat remained stable.
Drawing on Chomel’s previous gestation period, the team identified March as the best window for a planned Caesarean section, to ensure Ayaan would be born as close to term as possible.
The veterinary team had two months to prepare for what would be a rare surgery, engaging external medical and surgical expertise.
Given the risk of haemorrhage, they also identified a compatible blood donor in advance — Chomel’s cousin and foster daughter’s, also named Ah Meng, blood was collected for use during the operation.
On March 18, 233 days into Chomel’s pregnancy, Mandai Wildlife Group’s veterinary team was joined by an external veterinary surgical specialist, with human obstetric and neonatal specialists providing real-time consultation throughout, a reflection of the close parallels between human and orangutan anatomy.
The longest seven minutes
After 20 minutes, Ayaan was delivered and transferred to a separate room. He was breathing, but had low oxygen, a low heart rate and was cold to the touch.
The next moments were tense.
“It is a very nerve-wracking process,” Chua recalled.
“I was part of the baby team, monitoring Ayaan right after delivery, including his respiratory rate, his reflexes, and his colour. It was the longest seven minutes I have ever experienced.”
The team stabilised him within those seven minutes and placed him in an incubator as Chomel recovered from anaesthesia.
“He actually perked up, and he was able to stabilise his heart rate and breathing after seven minutes,” Ms Chua said.
“Seeing her immediately embrace Ayaan when she woke from surgery was an incredibly relieving moment, and it reassured us that we had made the right decision,” said Dr Heng Yirui, deputy vice-president of veterinary healthcare and scientific programmes at Mandai Wildlife Group.
“To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of an orangutan birth spanning artificial insemination, placenta praevia and a successful caesarean delivery. We hope sharing this experience will contribute to advancing veterinary knowledge and the care of great apes worldwide.”
C-sections in orangutans are exceptionally rare, with only around a dozen recorded cases in the US over the past two decades.
Placenta praevia is also rarely seen in orangutans under human care.
A mother of two — and an iconic family line
Two months on, Chomel is nursing not one but two infants.
In April, the animal care team placed Lio, the newborn of first-time Bornean orangutan mother Niu Li who had difficulty nursing, with Chomel who accepted the male baby without hesitation.
Chomel is the granddaughter of Ah Meng, the Sumatran orangutan who spent more than four decades at Singapore Zoo and became one of its most iconic residents.
Ayaan’s birth extends that family line.
Sumatran orangutans are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, with wild populations continuing to decline due to habitat loss, illegal pet trade and human-wildlife conflict.
SMRT’s adoption: a symbolic boost for conservation
Through the symbolic adoption, SMRT is contributing to Ayaan’s care and Mandai Wildlife Group’s broader conservation work.
The adoption ceremony was held on May 20 at the orangutan exhibit, with SMRT represented by Margaret Teo, group chief sustainability officer, and Mandai Wildlife Group by Isabel Cheng, senior vice-president of partnership development.
They unveiled the adoption plaque together.
“We are honoured to adopt Ayaan, Singapore’s first orangutan born through artificial insemination,” Teo said.
“This achievement reflects the dedication of Mandai Wildlife Group in advancing efforts to protect critically endangered species such as the orangutan.”
She added: “At SMRT, we recognise the importance of ESG and support it continually, safeguarding biodiversity as part of building Singapore’s sustainable future for the communities we serve. We are delighted to welcome Ayaan, an orang utan born in Mandai Singapore Zoo.”
To give Chomel space as a nursing mother, the Sumatran orangutans will be on a rotational schedule at the exhibit.
Chomel and the babies, Ayaan and Lio, will be on view from Thursday to Sunday and public holidays, while the two males, Charlie and Riau, can be seen from Monday to Wednesday.
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