Maisie the Baby Chimp Meets her New Troopmates!
March 11, 2021
Remember Maisie the adorable baby Chimpanzee at Maryland Zoo in Baltimore?
In September of last year, Maryland Zoo welcomed this baby chimpanzee from the Oklahoma City Zoo after her mother failed to properly care for her.
ZooBorns last checked in with Maisie in early January.
Zoo Staff were working tirelessly towards introducing the now six-month-old Chimpanzee to the rest of the troop.
Introductions haven’t always gone as planned, but dedicated keepers and staff have succeeded in introducing Maisie (little by little) to members of the group (including youngsters Lola and Violet).
By mid-February, Maisie was spending her time in a social grouping that includes adult females Bunny & Raven, and their daughters Lola & Violet.
The group spent some time in the indoor chimp habitat together - it was Maisie’s first time exploring that space!
She confidently crawled around, and youngsters Lola and Violet showed her a thing or two about how chimps play.
Chimpanzee troop dynamics are complex and take time to develop.
The Chimp Team continues to take Maisie’s integration day by day and monitor the chimps’ behavior to guide the process.
Lola’s mom Bunny interacts with baby chimpanzee Maisie the most of the adult chimps.
She leads Maisie from place to place and seems to oversee which chimps socialize with her.
Playing with Lola and Violet, napping, and eating from a bottle provided by keepers through the habitat barrier continue to be Maisie’s main activities as her troop integration continues.
Each day is a little different and allows Maisie to learn more about being a chimp from her troopmates while the Chimp Care Team carefully monitors the dynamics in her mini social group.