Baby chimp to meet surrogate mum
A baby chimp has moved to a new zoo to finally meet her surrogate mother.
Two-month-old Keeva was born at The Maryland Zoo, in Baltimore, on March 12 but her mother was unable to properly care for her.
Baby Keeva has now been moved to Lowry Park, in Florida, where she will soon be introduced to her new mummy, Abby, 32, a seasoned surrogate who has raised two other orphaned chimps from infancy.
“We know Abby has the instincts and skills to raise a baby chimp – she has been successful twice before," Lowery Park Zoo general curator Lee Ann Rottman told ABC news.
"We have every reason to believe that she will raise Keeva as her own, when given the opportunity."
Keeva has been hand-reared for a few weeks but zoo staff say it is very important that she be raised by a member of her own kind.
"The birth seemed to be without complication and the baby appeared to be healthy," said Maryland Zoo general curator Mike McClure.
"However, it soon became apparent that Carole was not adapting to motherhood appropriately and we made the difficult decision to remove and hand-rear the baby while searching for a suitable home with a nurturing surrogate."
The little chimp will be airlifted to her new home where she will be introduced to a new chimp group and receive round-the-clock care.
Keeva and Abby will be able to meet one another when the little chimp reaches four to six months.
Keeva who was born on St Patrick's Day was given her name for its Gaelic meaning - gentle, beautiful and precious.
News break - May 7
