![]() ![]() This arrangement allows her to focus on caring for her baby, and not have to worry about the complex social dynamics of chimp society. Since Bunny is a first-time mother, the care team is managing her in a smaller group of chimps. The care team will monitor the baby for important successes, such as the ability hold her head up on her own, for her to use her fingers and toes to grasp things, learning vocalizations and facial expressions, and teething. We can’t wait to watch the baby grow up and achieve her own life milestones!”ĭevelopmental milestones are similar to those for human babies. And, chimp babies are really quite adorable. ![]() “It’s great to watch an animal we care so much about experience this next step in her life. “We are so excited to see Bunny flourish as a mom,” said Cantwell. Adult chimp females weigh approximately 80-100 pounds, and males weigh 100-120 pounds. Chimp babies usually weigh 2-3 pounds at birth. She spends nearly all of her time cradled in Bunny’s arms or clinging closely to her back. The tiny new addition looks like a miniature version of her mom, with fluffy black hair covering most of her body. Just like with human moms, there is a steep learning curve for both the baby and the mother in the first few days as they both adjust to this new way of life,” said Cantwell. “We want to be as hands off as possible to allow mom and baby plenty of time to develop their relationship. Keepers believe she is able to hear and feel the baby when it cries loudly. Since the birth, the Chimpanzee Forest team has monitored the pair closely to make sure that there are appropriate behaviors from both the mother and the infant, which is especially important because Bunny is mostly deaf, with slight hearing in one ear. The veterinary and animal care teams also performed routine ultrasounds on Bunny to make sure the baby was growing appropriately. ![]() Prenatal care begins once staff get a positive pregnancy test. SSPs provide breeding recommendations to maximize genetic diversity, with the goal of ensuring the long-term survival of the population and the health of individual animals.Ĭhimpanzee gestation is approximately 8 months long. The birth is the result of a recommendation from the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Poaching and disease also put the wild population at risk. One of the greatest threats to the wild chimpanzees is loss of habitat, the African forest, from commercial logging, agriculture and fires.
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