By Associated Press
Fri Nov 10, 9:04 PM

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Zookeepers let a male orangutan pick the name for his offspring by marking one of two possible names with a paintbrush. The father, Tengku, picked Dumadi as the name for the baby orangutan, Fort Wayne Children's Zoo officials said.

The 4 1/2-pound male baby was the first orangutan born at the zoo. His mother, Sayang, died after giving birth Oct. 22.

Zookeepers decided to let the father _ who has used a paintbrush to create pictures that sell at zoo fundraisers and to pick stocks in a business contest _ dabble at name-choosing.

They set out two pieces of paper, one with the name Sayku and one with the name Dumadi. The primate rejected Sayku and picked Dumadi, which means "becoming" in an Indonesian language, zookeeper Angie Baldwin said.

Representatives from the Orangutan Species Survival Plan committee visited the zoo this week to begin determining whether to pair the baby with another female orangutan at Fort Wayne or place him with a female at another zoo.

Dumadi weighs about 5 pounds and likely will not be paired with a foster mother until age 6 months.

"He's doing really well," Baldwin said. "He's eating like a champ."

funkpill said:

[Edited 11/11/06 13:04pm]

purplerein said:

well now isn't that special