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CNN Live At Daybreak

Orangutan Toddler Fighting Cerebral Palsy

Aired May 03, 2002 - 06:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And finally this hour of DAYBREAK, some monkey business. Our John Zarrella introduces us to a tough but loving toddler named Millie who is battling cerebral palsy. Believe me, she will steal your heart.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millie is one of a kind.

LINDA JACOBS, MILLIE'S CAREGIVER: Can I have another kiss? Thank you. Aren't you the sweetest girl?

ZARRELLA: At 22 months old, this orangutan toddler is believed to be the only one of her kind alive who suffers from cerebral palsy. She was born with little strength, no balance, nearly nonexistent motor skills. Linda Jacobs, Millie's caregiver, saw it firsthand.

JACOBS: She couldn't even open her hands so mom knew there was something wrong right away.

ZARRELLA: At 9 days old, she was abandoned by her mom, left to die. But because she was born in captivity, Millie has a chance to live.

JACOBS: The first time I held her in my arms I knew that I was meant to be her mom.

ZARRELLA: At Parick (ph) Jungle where the orangutan lives with her half brother, Jacobs spends nearly every day with the toddler. When they're not here, they're at Miami's Easter Seal's Rehabilitation Center where Millie is learning to use her body to do what orangutans do, swing from a rope,...

JACOBS: What a big girl.

ZARRELLA: ... climb.

JACOBS: And she used to just sit down and look at this and not know where to put her body. And so the fact that she can climb in, get around, climb up, grab the scarf and come back down is fantastic. It's a fantastic improvement.

ZARRELLA: When Easter Seal heard about Millie three months ago, they decided treatments, nearly the same kind of physical therapy given to children, would work for Millie.

JACOBS: And orangutan mothers tickle their babies in a (ph) while so it's important that we tickle her too.

ZARRELLA: And they have. Why, because orangutans are closely related to humans.

JACOBS: She's, to me, a little kid with orange hair.

ZARRELLA: A little kid who has her favorite toys, who has her favorite blanket.

JACOBS: Yes, very good.

ZARRELLA: The time donated to Millie's care may or may not help researchers learn anything about dealing with cerebral palsy, but that, Easter Seal says, was never the point. It was simply the right thing to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well she certainly let's us know when she needs a break.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's I need a break right there.

ZARRELLA: John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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