You might have thought that dogs were man’s best friend, but it turns out it’s orangutans. One Mancunian was left emotional after needing to breastfeed her baby in a zoo next to the primate
Breast-feeding mum protected by female orangutan on incredible day out at zoo
Orangutans share a staggering 96.4 per cent of their DNA with humans – so it might not come as a shock that they are capable of deep compassion.
We’re often reminded how capable the great apes are when it comes to tasks like tying shoelaces or solving mini brain teasers – but it still comes as a surprise. Researchers say that the animal has an impressive IQ of around 75, compared to the average human that scores 100. However, it turns out orangutans are also capable of deep compassion and consideration. When Gemma Copeland, from Manchester, visited the zoo with her 15-week old son Jasper and partner Shane – she didn’t think she’d be brought to tears by one.
In 2020, the family visited Schoenbrunn Zoo while on holiday in Vienna, Austria. The trio were close to the orangutan enclosure when Gemma realised Jasper needed to feed. As she sat down against the glass to feed her son, a female orangutan began watching her intently and kissing and putting her hand on the glass. Shane managed to capture the emotional 30-minute-long encounter on his phone.
Mum-of-one Gemma, a nail technician from Stockport, Gtr Manchester but now living in Cheshire, said she was left in tears by the incredible display of animal compassion. “I’m mad on travelling and animals and when I booked a cheap flight to Vienna I noticed that they have the oldest zoo in the world,” she said.
“During our visit, I realised we nearly missed out on seeing the orangutans so we turned around and went back. We couldn’t see them in their enclosure so we just said ‘let’s go home’, but I realised that they had come back out when we turned away so we went to go and look.
“I went to the window for a closer look and sat down by the window so my son could see the orangutan who was roughly five or six foot away – I didn’t want to frighten her so I made myself smaller so I could take a picture. She then got up, carried a piece of cloth to the window and sat down with me. She looked directly into my eyes then placed her hand up as if to touch my son. I was in awe of this beautiful creature already.
“My son wanted feeding and as it was quiet I fed him whilst I sat there. The way the orangutan reacted took my breath away she kept looking at me, then my son then back again. “She sat with me for approximately half an hour, and kept stroking the glass and lay down next to me as if to support and protect me. I was absolutely gobsmacked and got quite a crowd of people turning up to see what was going on – people were sat watching quietly and respectfully. It was really lovely and I didn’t want to leave – it felt incredible and I was crying so much because I couldn’t take it in.”
After Gemma shared the heart warming moment on Facebook for her friends and family to see, it went viral – racking up millions of views, likes and shares. The new mum has since discovered the orangutan, Sol, had previously given birth to a stillborn infant, making the experience even more emotional.
Gemma added: “I felt heartbroken when I left the zoo, it’s been really overwhelming that the post has gone viral – my grandma is really proud and hasn’t stopped crying about it. I had to share this because my mind was blown, we may be a species apart but breastfeeding connected us today in a once in a lifetime moment that will stay with me forever.”
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