This time last year, baby chimpanzee Maisie was getting ready to be introduced to Maryland Zoo’s troop for the very first time. After being hand-raised since she arrived, this was a delicate process that took a lot of thought and strategy from the chimp care team.
One year later, Maryland Zoo couldn’t be happier with how much Maisie has grown, both in confidence and in relationships with her troopmates. She’s being community-raised by the adults and continues to be as close as ever with fellow infants Lola and Violet. We can’t wait to continue watching her progress.
It's easy to see how much Irene adores baby Tonk! Tonk was born at Lion Country Safari in Florida as part of a collaborative conservation program to save chimps from extinction.
In the wild, chimps are endangered (and critically endangered in some regions), due to a number of factors, including wildlife trafficking. As adorable as Tonk is, he will one day be massive; we're talking over 150 pounds of pure muscle! Chimps need our support for conservation but they're #NotAPet.
Birthday Boy Tai was born in ZOO Ljubljana, Slovenia, on January 18 2021. He just celebrated his first birthday! Zookeepers made a special fruit cake for him and surprised him with presents. His family, who helped him eat the treats and open the gifts, belongs to the western chimpanzee subspecies, a critically endangered subspecies of chimpanzee. This is why he was named Tai — after the national park on the Ivory Coast where western chimpanzees live. He is very curious and adores his older sister, Leona, who is 5 years old. She loves to carry him around, play with him and teach him new things.
It's always a blast when Maryland Zoo chimp babies Maisie, Lola, and Violet get together! Play, social grooming, physical displays, and willingness to share food are some of the ways that chimpanzees form and maintain bonds with each other.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Lion Country Safari welcomed a baby chimpanzee to its troop on Dec. 30, the first born at the facility in over 16 years and the only one born in 2021 at an AZA-accredited zoological park. The baby is making his debut on the island habitats in the preserve, and guests driving through the safari may see him clinging to mom.
This baby is a significant part of chimpanzee conservation, contributing to the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP), a national collaboration to save them from extinction. Chimpanzees are listed as endangered and critically endangered in some regions by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with populations decreasing due to habitat loss, poaching and disease.
MAISIE UPDATE: Here, there, and everywhere, 1-year-old chimp Maisie is on the go. She has now climbed almost all the way to the top of the indoor habitat, and has been showing off more of her personality—just look at that little display towards female Asali! Most of her time is still spent with male Louie (seen in this video snuggling Maisie) and fellow infants Lola and Violet.
Maisie's mother would not care for her and she was brought to The Maryland Zoo in September of 2020 to be hand-reared before being integrated into the Maryland Zoo chimpanzee troop. Maisie turned 1 on August 28, 2021.
Female chimpanzee Kitoko is currently looking after two little ones at once. When heavily pregnant, she promptly adopted the son of her sister Fifi, who was unable to look after her newborn for health reasons.
On 26 June, 28-year-old female chimpanzee Fifi gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Everything seemed to have gone well, except for the fact that Fifi handed her baby over to other members of the group unusually early. However, Fifi continued to regularly suckle the little one. After around two weeks, Fifi became weak and developed a limp in her hind legs. Although the zoo vet gave Fifi intensive care, she showed no signs of improvement. The vet could not find any cause for Fifi’s symptoms. At the end of July, the zoo keepers noticed that Kitoko, Fifi’s sister, was caring for the newborn the majority of the time and had even begun to suckle it. A few days later, Kitoko gave birth to her own baby boy, who she initially appeared to ignore. However, father Kume (18) and other members of the group insisted that Kitoko should look after the young male. Experienced mother Kitoko has been taking care of the two little ones ever since. Both are doing well and developing normally. The young female is called Sangala and Kitoko's son is named Sabaki.
Adoption in the wild
Chimpanzees will sometimes also adopt babies in the wild. Baby chimpanzees are dependent on their mothers for the first six years of their lives. If the mothers die prematurely, the young animal’s chances of survival in the wild fall dramatically. If other members of the group adopt the orphaned little one, their chances of survival remain high.
However, orphaned offspring that are adopted are usually somewhat older than this – there are only two known instances in the wild of young aged under two being adopted. Scientific studies have shown that the chances of adoption in the wild are higher among related animals, and that adoptions by sisters of the deceased mother are particularly successful.
The fact that Sangala was adopted by Kitoko as a newborn is most likely thanks to the circumstances in the zoo. In the wild, the dying mother would have distanced herself from the group and taken her little one with her. The available resources and group dynamic at Basel Zoo enabled Kitoko to take on her sister’s baby. As Kitoko was expecting a baby of her own, she was prepared to look after the little one.
Using human medicine
Even after further medical examinations, including with the help of gynaecologists and cardiologists working in human medicine, Fifi has still not been diagnosed. Thanks to the vets’ care, she is now doing much better, with the exception of the lameness in her hind legs. The veterinary team is still working to establish a diagnosis.
Out of all of the troop members, baby chimp Maisie has recently become the most comfortable around male chimps Louie and Alex. The three of them have had epic play sessions and we are noticing lots of happy vocalizations and facial expressions. Maisie has even been seen belly riding on Louie in the outdoor yard.
Overall, female Bunny still takes interest, but Maisie prefers to be with the males right now, especially at night. She has been sleeping both in their nests and on them. When Louie is around, Maisie shows more confidence with other members of the troop, and the chimp care team has noticed growth in overall attitude and playfulness from Louie and Alex as well.
