(CNN) — Five words from legendary daytime talk show host Maury Povich helped Denver Zoo staff solve a months-long mystery involving the orangutan who fathered Siska's calf: “Berani, you're the father!” .
Last spring, when Siska's mother, Sumatran orangutan Erina, was confirmed pregnant, zoo staff didn't know who the father was, according to Denver Zoo's director of integrated communications, Jake Kuby.
They knew there were two possibilities: 16-year-old Jaya, an orangutan transferred to the Denver Zoo in 2019 as Erina's companion; Or Perani, 30 years old.
“After Sisca was born on August 27, 2023, our animal health and care teams were very careful not to interfere with Eirina and Sisca's bonding time, and had to wait a few months to get a hair sample from Sisca. We were able to compare her DNA with Berani and Jaya's samples,” Kubie told CNN. He said in an email.
It also noted that the zoo's animal care specialists had previously observed courtship and mating activities between Erina and Perani, members of the critically endangered species.
According to the Denver Zoo, there are about 9,200 orangutans in the wild. The Sumatran Orangutan was brought to Jaya Zoo as part of the Species Survival Project.
A DNA test finally revealed the results, and Kubié said he could think of only one person who could make the big announcement: the longest-running daytime 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 common segment on his show “Mauri,” which ended in 2022 after 31 seasons.
“It led me to wonder if Maury could help us with the announcement,” Gubi said.
So, he contacted Povich's former executive producer, who put the zoo in touch with Povich's executive assistant, according to Kubié.
In an initial email to Povich's team, Kubié says he wrote: “This may be an unusual idea, or you hear these things all the time, but I was wondering if you would be willing to help us if we called on Maury to reveal the father's decisions that only he can make.”
An assistant to Povich confirmed that the former talk show host is ready to make the big announcement.
On Dec. 15, before accepting a special honor that same night, the zoo received a video of Povich being exposed at large, Kubié said.
“Maury Bovich is here to help us announce the paternity results of Siska, our 4-month-old Sumatran orangutan, receiving a Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement honor!” The Denver Zoo posted a video on X on December 19. In it, Povich appears wearing a tuxedo while holding a yellow envelope.
Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Honoree Maury Bovich is here to help announce the paternity results of our four-month-old Sumatran orangutan Siska! Is Sisca's father thirty-year-old Perana or sixteen-year-old Jay? Watch the video for the big reveal!
pic.twitter.com/jyh1Mp0Y7C — Denver Zoo (@DenverZoo) December 19, 2023
“Siska, Berani, an orangutan about 4 months old: You are the father!” Povich announced in the clip, which then shows the zoo team applauding the news.
“Mowry and his team have been fantastic to work with and we can't thank him enough for sharing his time and energy to support us, especially on such a personally important day for him,” said Kubie.
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