Baby Chimpanzee Born In Md. Finds New Mother At Tampa Zoo
TAMPA, Fla. (WJZ) -- A Baltimore baby is calling the sunshine state home tonight.
Jessica Kartalija reports the two-month-old chimpanzee is meeting her new family for the very first time.
It's one of the most popular exhibits at the Maryland Zoo. So when a baby chimpanzee named Keeva was born, it was great news, but there was a problem.
"She was doing a lot of appropriate behaviors for a mom, but also not a lot of appropriate behaviors," said Carey Ricciardone, Mammal Collection Manager.
In the first few days after she was born, Keeva's mother, Carole, wasn't really responding.
"In that first 72 hours we were really monitoring her and making sure that she was holding the baby right, that the baby could get up to where she should be to nurse, and we weren't seeing that," Ricciardone said.
So, with the help of some generous volunteers, Keeva flew to Lowry Park Zoo in Florida on a private plane from Baltimore to Tampa.
While Keeva is still being raised by human caregivers, the other chimps at Lowry Park are starting to get used to her.
"She's right there, right next to the troop so the troop can see her and smell her and we heard that she has started vocalizing to the troop, which is a big milestone," said Claire MacNamara, Chimp Forest Area Manager.
"She was actually a very small chimp. She was only 2.6 pounds when she was born," said Ricciardone. "So she's gaining weight slowly. I just got news that she's starting to crawl."
And soon, Keeva will be introduced to her new mama, Abby, a 32-year-old with some parenting experience.
"She has done it before with great success, so we're hoping that she can do it again a third time. So we're hopeful," MacNamara said.
Keeva, who was born around St. Patrick's Day this year was given her name for its Gaelic meaning gentle, beautiful and precious.
