May 12, 2020 - 1096 views
The Welsh Mountain Zoo – National Zoo of Wales, has said a very happy welcome to a baby girl chimpanzee, the first chimp to be born at the Zoo in 18 years!
Mum, Katie, and baby are both doing well, bringing new life and joy to the Zoo, with baby clinging to mum, nestled comfortably against her chest. Mum can already be seen carrying her infant around the enclosure showing her off to keepers who are closely monitoring their progress.
To celebrate the wonderful arrival in these unusual times, the Zoo is launching a special naming competition for baby. Honouring our selfless NHS teams, the Zoo is inviting chimp lovers to nominate the name of their very own NHS hero, via the Zoo’s fundraising page.
Kim Wood, Director of Living Collections of the Welsh Mountain Zoo explained: “This is wonderful news for the Zoo, particularly during this time of lockdown, and marks our first baby chimp in almost two decades. To say we're all very excited here is an understatement!”
The Welsh Mountai Zoo wants to show its heartfelt gratitude and respect for our NHS heroes through this special name recognition competition and hope that this will help to bring a smile to the faces of all these workers whilst they continue to keep the nation going during these very difficult times.
To suggest a name simply visit the Zoo’s fundraising page www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/welshmountainzoo and along with a donation include your chosen name in the comments box. A winner will be selected at random on 18th May, the 57th anniversary of the Zoo, and the baby chimp will be named after the winning NHS hero.
Kim continued: “Baby is absolutely adorable and I’m pleased to say she is making great progress.”
She added: “Life here continues as normal for our many residents who are, of course, unaware of the challenges we face in keeping the Zoo fully operational. Support at this time is critical and we would encourage friends and supporters to make a donation of any size via our fundraising page as well as taking the chance to name our fantastic new arrival.”
Chimpanzees are classed as an endangered species and we are part of an European-wide breeding programme which makes this latest arrival cause for celebration.
The Zoo is home to 11 chimpanzees and are one of the most popular species for visitors to the Zoo. Very similar to humans, mums are pregnant with their baby’s for around eight months.
