This adorable baby chimp found a new home — and mother — in Florida
The aptly named Keeva — Gaelic for "gentle," "beautiful," and "precious" — is starting a new life in Florida after her mother was unable to care for her properly.
The tiny chimp was born two months ago at the Maryland Zoo, the first child of a 27-year-old, Reuters reports. Zoo officials say that chimps are dependent on their mothers for at least five years, but Keeva's mom just wasn't able to rear her baby, so they set about finding her a surrogate. Abby, a 32-year-old at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, has raised two other orphaned chimps, and the zoos thought she might make the best mother for Keeva. "We know Abby has the instincts and skills to raise a baby chimp," Lowry Park Zoo's general curator, Lee Ann Rottman, said in a statement.
Keeva will be introduced to Abby when she is between four and six months. Until then, Keeva will be raised by humans, but the adult chimps can see, smell, and hear her through protective mesh. Zoo officials say that Abby in particular is watching with interest as Keeva learns to hold her head up and vocalize. —Catherine Garcia
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published