Baby Chimp Introduced to Foster Family at Maryland Zoo

Zookeepers introduced baby chimpanzee Maisie to her new foster troop at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore on October 27, newly released video shows.

Maisie was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo on August 28, to a 12-year-old first-time mother who was deemed “unable to care for her properly,” according to a press release from the Maryland Zoo.

Maisie was relocated to the Maryland Zoo in September to be hand-reared by zookeepers and then paired with a surrogate – a chimpanzee named Abby with experience as a foster mother.

“It’s very important for chimpanzees to be raised by their own species. As humans, we can’t give
an infant chimp all it needs to develop into a well-functioning member of a group,” said Judy McAuliffe, curator of primates at Houston Zoo and Chimp SSP Program Leader, according to the press release. “Maryland Zoo has had tremendous success introducing infants to foster mothers who can raise them as part of an integrated group, which is absolutely the best thing for the infant.”

The addition of Maisie to the troop at the Maryland Zoo will bring their numbers to 15. Maisie will have at least two other baby chimps to play with, providing social engagement that is “vital” for her development, the zoo said. Credit: The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore via Storyful