CHENNAI: A baby chimpanzee has become the new addition to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur as Susie alias Gowri gave birth to the little one on June 9 — 16 years after she came to the city along with partner Gombe from Singapore zoo in 2005.
The sex of the baby has not been determined yet.
After the birth of two male chimpanzees, Anand and Vijay, in the mid-1990s, this is the first birth of a chimpanzee in captivity at the zoo in nearly 25 years.
Both the newborn and the mother are healthy and safe and are staying together.
The mother is feeding the baby and cradling it on her chest throughout the day, officials said.
During the night, Gombe, the dad, is separated from the mother and the baby and is kept in isolation.
The zoo managers had increased the quantity of diet for the mother after the birth of the baby.
The zoo earlier had a male chimpanzee named Victor which was housed in the facility without a mate.
In 1998, authorities had acquired a female Tuntun under animal exchange programme from Alipore zoo in Kolkata.
The female was specially brought to Vandalur for breeding in captivity.
However, Tuntun failed to breed successfully in captivity and could not deliver babies during its stay in the zoo, authorities said.
Tuntun died at the age of 52 in September 2015.
An intelligent animal, Tuntun was curious and communicative too during its active days in Vandalur, zoo authorities said.
However, during its last days, Tuntun refused to eat food offered by animal keepers and its health deteriorated and it subsequently died.
In the wild, the lifespan of chimpanzees range between 40 years and 45 years.
In captivity, they can live for eight or nine more years, zoo authorities said.