This is the young male orangutan who may hold the fate of the global population of the critically endangered species in his, er, hands.

The nine-year-old Bornean ape arrived at the world's oldest animal park Schonbrunn Zoo, in the Austrian capital Vienna earlier this month (May).

Now keepers hope he has become the eager new star of their European Endangered Species Programme to boost orangutan numbers.

The youngster, who transferred from Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands, was let loose with his new harem at a special enclosure designed to encourage peacefulness.

Initially, photos show he looked like he might be a flop as he kept his distance hiding behind a huge clump of straw.

But as he slowly warmed up video footage shows him cautiously making his rounds of the females, patting their heads as a sign of cautious affection.

Zoo Director Dr Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said: "The group dynamic is very peaceful, and the animals are gradually approaching each other.

"We hope the new male will, in a few years, contribute to the birth of new offspring once our two young orangutans are weaned.

"With the arrival of our young females in 2020 and the birth of their female infants, we've already laid an important foundation for a stable breeding group with a balanced age structure."

The new ape was brought in to plug the gap following the death of the zoo's veteran 49-year-old male in 2023.

Orangutan expert Dr Folko Balfanz said: "In the wild, all orangutan species are threatened with extinction due to the loss of their natural habitats in Borneo and Sumatra."

Orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammal and highly intelligent creatures, considered to be one of the closest relatives to humans.

They are currently listed as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

(Simona Kitanovska / newsX)