Maryland-Born Chimpanzee Meets Surrogate Mother

TAMPA, Fla. (WJZ) – A five-month-old orphaned chimpanzee born at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore met her surrogate mother in late-August.

The female chimpanzee, named "Keeva," was cared for at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo since her arrival in March 2015.

She can laugh, reach and grab objects, stand upright and briefly hang from tree branches.

For the first five months of her life, a team of primate animal care specialists provided round-the-clock care. Now they're shifting that responsibility to a 32-year-old female chimpanzee named Abby, who is known for her ability to foster infant chimpanzees.

While living at Oklahoma City Zoo, Abby successfully raised two orphaned chimps and contributed to the care of a third. Each introduction process is different and moves at the pace of the primates involved.

Abby and Keeva have spent two weeks together so far, and for the time being, human caregivers have transitioned to a 24-hour observation role to give them privacy.

Caregivers hope Keeva will soon become acquainted with the rest of the zoo's chimp family.

Chimpanzees are classified as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. One of the greatest threats to wild chimpanzees is loss of habitat, the African forest, from commercial logging, agriculture and fires. Poaching and disease also put the wild population at risk.

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo is a participant in the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).