Baby orangutan named after a very special mascot

A critically endangered Bornean orangutan born at Blackpool Zoo earlier this year has been named Rufus in honour of an organisation that supports children affected by an acute and chronic medical condition.

Patients and staff from Calea Homecare, which supports children that require Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN), visited the zoo along with its mascot, Rufus the orangutan.

After meeting the character and children, Blackpool Zoo approached the team at Calea Homecare to ask them if it would be possible to name the new baby orangutan after Rufus. 

Calea Homecare’s Rufus was created to connect and engage with patients and their families   and help the process of empowering the youngsters to understand their condition. 

HPN is the treatment for intestinal failure which means the bowel is not capable of absorbing enough food. 

A full suite of patient literature, videos, stories and games have been created around Rufus and his adventures including a replica cuddly toy.

Blackpool Zoo’s baby orangutan was born at the end of April to first time mum, Summer.  His father, Kawan, came to Blackpool Zoo in 2022, from Apenheul Zoo in the Netherlands as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).

Darren Webster, Director at Blackpool Zoo, said: “We are thrilled to name Rufus in honour of Calea’s mascot. 

“It was great to see Calea enjoying one of their patient days at the zoo and after seeing Calea’s Rufus with the children our team thought it would be a fitting tribute to him.

“Our Rufus’ mother, Summer, was born here at Blackpool Zoo in 2002 and it has been an honour to watch her flourish over the last 22 years.

“Rufus’ birth was a cause for real celebration at the zoo after he became the second baby orangutan to arrive after a 20 year wait. 

“The Bornean orangutan was classified as critically endangered in July 2016 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).  This means that this species now faces an “extremely high” risk of extinction in the wild.

“This makes breeding programmes such as the EEP absolutely vital and we are delighted that Rufus now has a name and is part of a new generation of beautiful Bornean orangutans here at Blackpool Zoo.”

Hannah Cutler, who is Associate Business Development Manager at Calea Homecare, said: “We enjoyed an incredible patient day at Blackpool Zoo and the team really went above and beyond to ensure everyone had a great time.

“We were over the moon when we were told that Blackpool Zoo would be naming their beautiful baby orangutan after our mascot, Rufus. He’s been engaging with patients and their families for many years, so having such a special baby named after him is a true honour.”