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
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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