28 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Sedgwick County Zoo has announced the birth of a new baby girl chimpanzee. She was born on Sunday, Aug. 20.
Her name is Alizeti, which means sunflower in Swahili.
Courtesy: Sedgwick County Zoo
The Zoo says mom Chuckie gave birth in the presence of the troop during the early morning hours.
“The animal care team at SCZ observed mom and baby for a short time before coming to the conclusion that Chuckie was not exhibiting appropriate maternal behavior,” the SCZ said. “In order to give Alizeti the best chance of survival, our team made the life-saving decision to remove her from the troop and provide human-assisted rearing during this first crucial stage of her development.”
The Zoo says human-assisted rearing involves round-the-clock care and attention for the baby, designed to mirror how a chimp mother would naturally care for her infant.
“Just as mother chimpanzees never let baby out of their arms, our caretakers will do the same for at least a couple of months until Alizeti is developmentally strong enough to be reunited with the troop,” the Zoo said. “At that point, she will be raised by a foster mother with support of the rest of the chimpanzee family.”
Last November, a baby chimpanzee named Kucheza was born but died after “head trauma” five weeks later.