Adorable videos show a newborn baby orangutan clinging to its mum as zoo keepers celebrated the birth of one of the world's most endangered primates.

The critically endangered Sumatran orangutan arrived at Chester Zoo on June 19 to parents Emma and Puluh, both 34, following an eight and a half month pregnancy.

Experts at the zoo say they are yet to determine the sex of the tiny newcomer, which has been clinging tightly to mum since entering the world.

The baby is first of its kind to be born at the zoo since its group of orangutans moved back to their "Monsoon Forest" home - following a tragic fire in December 2019.

The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild and conservationists around the world hope the birth offers fresh hope of saving the great apes.

Sumatran orangutans are native to South East Asia, where fewer than 14,000 of the great apes remain in the wild.

They are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Claire Parry, one of the zoo’s specialist Primate Keepers, said: “Sumatran orangutans are one of the world’s most threatened large mammals and so the safe arrival of a new baby is an incredibly special moment.

"Emma is an experienced mum and already she’s formed a really close bond with the little one – it’s wonderful to see her cradling it so gently.

“The youngster is a vital boost to the international conservation breeding programme, which is working to ensure a safety-net population for these critically endangered animals within the world’s most progressive zoos.

"Crucially, we also hope the baby will help us to raise more awareness about the destruction of rainforests in South East Asia that is driving this magnificent species, and many others, towards extinction.”

Chester Zoo is currently the only zoo in mainland Britain which cares for Sumatran orangutans

Threatened by illegal hunting, habitat destruction and the conversion of their forest to palm oil plantations, the species has been pushed to the very brink of existence.

Palm oil is a highly efficient oil that is found in more than 50 per cent of supermarket products globally.

The zoo says as the demand for unsustainable palm oil intensifies, orangutans are increasingly being edged towards extinction.

A team of conservationists at Chester Zoo are working in Indonesia, alongside sustainable palm oil farms and NGOs, to help prevent further deforestation.

Nick Davis, deputy curator of mammals at the zoo, added: “For many years now our teams at the zoo have been working with palm oil suppliers in the UK, and with partners and NGOs in Indonesia, to encourage the growing of sustainable palm oil.

"We want there to be no further deforestation and, where palm oil plantations do already exist, we want them to include wildlife safe corridors to allow animals to move through them freely.

"With the help of our partners, we have also started to reconnect areas of rainforest by replanting native trees back into the ground where they once stood.

“With palm oil being such a widely used product, people power is key in turning the tide if we’re to save these charismatic animals.

"Like most of the products we buy, if consumers demand certified sustainable alternatives, then suppliers will quickly change their ways and practices – bringing an end to the destruction some of the most treasured ecosystems on the planet.”

The city of Chester became the world’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City after conservationists at the zoo completely revamped the supply chains of businesses in the area to only include palm oil from sustainable, deforestation-free suppliers.

This included local restaurants, cafes, hotels, fast food outlets, schools and workplaces.

The project is now being used a blueprint in other communities in the UK in a bid to save South East Asia’s wildlife.