A Great Birthday Present

As I drove to work on July 19^th, my birthday, I never realized that I would get the greatest birthday present a zookeeper could get: a new baby! As I drove up to the Great Ape building, I could see that Daisy and Debbie were nesting together in a usual spot. As I climbed out of my vehicle and approached the outdoor enclosure, I realized that Daisy had moved to an indoor area. This was very unusual for her, since she always greets us first thing each morning. I walked over to the indoor enclosure and peeked through the glass. Daisy was standing bipedal and greeting me as usual, but this time, in her arms she was carrying her new baby! For a moment, it all seemed surreal. I came to realize that the event we had been waiting for since the first of the year had finally arrived, and on my birthday!

The baby was wide-eyed and appeared like a rag doll in Daisy’s arms. A baby chimpanzee is born completely dependent on his Mother; he can’t even cling to her hair yet, she must support him at all times. Debbie and Julie, two of Daisy’s closest companions, were with Daisy and both seemed to be doing really well. They were protective of the new mom and baby, but also keeping their distance from the pair, allowing mom and baby to bond. The new baby, named George, is the third offspring for Daisy, so her attentive mothering skills came very natural for her.

Since the 19^th, George has already reached some milestones. On the 22^nd of July, his ears, which had been pressed snuggly to his head from delivery, “popped out”. Also, on this day, he was introduced, through mesh, to his father, Jimbo. Daisy head- bobbed and crouched towards Jimbo, a very positive and submissive chimp gesture. Jimbo, in return, seemed very excited, and then fearful- perhaps anxious- as he too took a submissive posture towards mom and baby. On July 24^th, George and mom had their first public debut. Keepers saw him sucking his toe at one point, another milestone. And then, on the 26^th of this month, we saw George cling independently for brief periods of time while Daisy foraged for food. Of course, all Great Ape staff assumes George is advanced, to be reaching such milestones so quickly! We are a little biased, however.

As told by Great Ape Keeper, Lee-Ann