WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – They might be running out of champagne at the Sedgwick County Zoo as their baby parade continues into 2026, with orangutan mom Tao giving birth to baby Riang on Jan. 4.
“Her name is Riang, and that means ‘cheerful’ or ‘bright.’ She is a Sumatran orangutan. She is the 91st orangutan in the population at the moment. There are 91 of them in the United States,” zookeeper Devin Turner said.
The zoo says Tao is an experienced mom and that Riang is in great hands — and the orangutan baby isn’t the only one getting extra love in the Air Capital. Last year, thanks to the birds and the bees, the zoo welcomed a baby chimp, four new elephants (Bomani, Kijani, Asali, and Dakari), an American bison and even a Cape coral cobra.
Elephant enclosure at Sedgwick County Zoo gets a makeover
When you factor in all the bird and reptile hatchlings, the zoo says it’s hard to pin down an exact number, but 2025 clearly stood out for boosting the Sedgwick County Zoo family…