Milk of human kindness
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A female baby lion-tailed macaque drinks human breast milk from a feeding incubator at the Guangzhou Zoo. |
A female baby lion-tailed macaque drinks human breast milk from a feeding incubator at the Guangzhou Zoo, Guangdong Province on December 10. The monkey, classified as a threatened species, on the IUN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, was born on November 3, but its mother rejected it.
"It was born thin, and because its mother did not feed it, the situation was very dangerous," said a zoo worker surnamed Yang who looked after the baby.
When zoo employees discussed how to feed it artificially, a vet who was a 2-month-old father at that time thought that his wife's breast milk might be helpful. His wife agreed. "When my husband told me his idea, I was happy to try, hoping my breast milk would help the baby monkey grow healthy." She used a breast pump to store milk and her husband took it to the zoo. The monkey is thriving now and another zoo worker who recently gave birth is also donating some of her milk.
