Rare chimp is born while ‘astonished’ zoo visitors watch. See the ‘precious’ baby
Zoo visitors at Chester Zoo in northern England recently got a shocking surprise: They watched a chimpanzee give birth to a rare baby.
The baby’s mom, Alice, gave birth to the newborn Dec. 29 “in front of astonished zoo visitors,” the zoo said in a Feb. 6 news release. Alice had an eight-month pregnancy.
A video shows the “precious newborn” cuddling his mom and female relatives while they cradle him.
“A new birth always sparks some real excitement within the chimpanzee group here at Chester,” Mike Jordan, animal and plant director at the zoo said in the release. “While Alice and her new baby are certainly (center) of attention among the other chimpanzees they’re still finding some quiet time to get to know one another and can often be seen cuddled up together.”
Chimpanzees at Chester Zoo are part of an international conservation breeding program, officials said. Zoos across Europe participate in the program, using technology “to create a safety-net population to help prevent the primates from disappearing altogether.”
“Human-related activities such as the illegal wildlife trade and poaching have severely impacted chimpanzee populations in many parts of Africa,” the zoo said. “Deforestation, driven by agricultural expansion and logging, has significantly reduced their natural habitats into smaller and more fragmented territories.”
Learning about motherhood is necessary for both the chimps and the program’s continuation, according to Jordan.
“Some of the others in the group, especially the younger females, are really intrigued by the new baby and are learning all about motherhood from Alice,” he said. “This is an important learning curve for them and this experience can be really useful for when they hopefully go on to have babies of their own.”
The program has worked in Uganda, Nigeria and Gabon for 30 years, protecting “some of the world’s rarest wild chimpanzees and their forest homes,” Jordan said.
Social media users shared their excitement with the zoo’s announcement.
“A precious baby and a loving mama,” one person commented.
“So beautiful to watch this mom and baby,” another comment said.
“Best pictures I’ve seen,” a third person wrote. “Those babies being so loved by the moms. Precious.”
Chester is about 200 miles northwest of London.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Rare chimp is born while ‘astonished’ zoo visitors watch. See the ‘precious’ baby."
