Parents Joe and Dasa welcomed their third baby at the zoo Feb. 1.

Dasa, one of the Erie Zoo's orangutans, ripped shredded tissue paper out of a light blue baby gift bag Friday morning, eager to get to the strawberries and lettuce inside.

"Baby boys rock," the message on the bag declared.

Cradled in her right arm with his head tipped back lazily was hers.

The zoo's orangutan pair, Dasa and Joe, welcomed a boy Feb. 1, their third baby.

The orangutan exhibit was decked out in pink and blue Friday morning as zoo staff held a sex reveal party and baby shower for the new family of four, letting them open gift bags full of treats while introducing the world to their new addition.

"He really clings to Mom right now and she's an excellent mother," said Emily Antolik, director of communications for the zoo. "Everyone is healthy and doing great. Joe and Dasa are wonderful parents."

The orangutans' first baby, Leela, was born in 2003 and transferred to the Toledo Zoo in 2012 to mate. Ollie, born in 2009, remains in Erie. Joe was born in 1986 and Dasa in 1992.

"He (Ollie) is used to being the center of attention, so it's going to take some getting used to for him," Antolik said. "It'll probably take a year for him to fully adjust, but he's doing a lot better than we expected he would."

Ollie will be transferred to another zoo to mate in the next year, Antolik said. The birth is especially significant because Bornean orangutans are considered a critically endangered species with only 45,000 to 69,000 left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Organization.

"This is huge for them as a species," Antolik said. "We are just so excited here. We know everyone will love this new baby as much as we do."

Antolik said the new baby will receive a wellness check soon, but he has not yet been separated from Dasa.

The Erie Zoo is partnering with the Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC for a public naming contest. The public is invited to submit suggestions at one of the Magee-Womens Specialty Center at UMPC Hamot office locations at 5035 Peach St., 2060 N. Pearl St. in North East, or 5050 West Ridge Road. There will also be an online link available soon, Antolik said.

The naming contest will end April 2 at 5 p.m.

Sarah Stemen can be reached at 870-1776 or by email. Follow her on twitter at twitter.com/ETNstemen.

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