(CNN) – Five words from famed talk show host Maury Povich helped Denver Zoo staff solve the months-long mystery of which orangutan calf Siska fathered: “Berani, you are the father!”
When the pregnancy of Sumatran orangutan Eirina, Siska's mother, was confirmed last spring, zoo officials were unsure who the father was, said Jake Kubié, director of integrated communications at the Denver Zoo.
They knew there were two options: 16-year-old Jaya, an orangutan brought to the Denver Zoo in 2019 as Eirina's companion; or Berani, 30 years old.
“After Siska was born on August 27, 2023, our animal health and care teams took great care not to disrupt the bonding time between Eirina and Siska and had to wait several months before they could obtain a hair sample from Siska. It will be Siska.” “I was able to compare his DNA with samples from Berani and Jaya,” Kubié told CNN in an email.
It was also noted that the zoo's animal care specialists had previously observed courtship and mating activities between Eirina and Berani, both representatives of an endangered species.
According to the Denver Zoo, there are approximately 9,200 orangutans still living in the wild. Jaya was brought to the zoo as part of a survival plan for Sumatran orangutan species.
A DNA test finally revealed the results, and Kubié said he could only think of one person who could make the big announcement: the longest-serving talk show host in television history.
The 84-year-old former host became known as the king of paternity test results after such revelations became a frequent feature of his show “Maury,” which ended in 2022 after 31 seasons.
“That made me wonder if Maury could help us with the announcement,” Kubié said.
So, according to Kubié, he contacted Povich's former executive producer, who put the zoo in touch with Povich's executive assistant.
Kubié says he wrote in an initial email to Povich's team: “This might be an unorthodox idea, or maybe you get asked these things all the time, but I was wondering if you would be willing to help us if we could Maury would be invited to reveal the “results” of fatherhood as only he can do.
Povich's assistant confirmed that the former talk show host was ready to make the big announcement.
The zoo received the video of Povich's grand unveiling on Dec. 15, just before he accepted a special honor that same evening, Kubié said.
“Maury Povich just received the Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award and is here to help us announce the paternity results for Siska, our four-month-old Sumatran orangutan!” the Denver Zoo posted on December 19 on X next to the video in which Povich appears in a tuxedo and holding a yellow envelope.
Maury Povich, who just received the Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement Award, is here to help us announce the paternity results for Siska, our four-month-old Sumatran orangutan! Is Siska's father thirty-year-old Berani or 16-year-old Jaya? Watch the big reveal video!
pic.twitter.com/jyh1Mp0Y7C
– Denver Zoo (@DenverZoo) December 19, 2023
“About four-month-old orangutan Siska, Berani: You are the father!” Povich announced in the clip, which then shows the zoo team applauding the news.
“It was wonderful to work with Maury and his team and we cannot thank him enough for giving some of his time and energy to support us, especially on such an important day for him personally,” said Kubié .