These heartwarming images show how a female chimpanzee has adopted her ill sister's newborn infant at a zoo in Switzerland.

Kitoko the chimpanzee is currently looking after her own baby but she has also apparently adopted her sister Fifi's son after she suffered from mysterious health issues at Basel Zoo in Switzerland.

The zoo said in a statement that the birth of Fifi's son had gone well but noted the mother had "handed her baby over to other members of the group unusually early".

Despite continuing to suckle her newborn, after about two weeks, "Fifi became weak and developed a limp in her hind legs. Although the zoo vet gave Fifi intensive care, she showed no signs of improvement. The vet could not find any cause for Fifi’s symptoms.

"At the end of July, the zookeepers noticed that Kitoko, Fifi’s sister, was caring for the newborn the majority of the time and had even begun to suckle it. A few days later, Kitoko gave birth to her own baby boy, who she initially appeared to ignore.

"However, father Kume, 18, and other members of the group insisted that Kitoko should look after the young male. Experienced mother Kitoko has been taking care of the two little ones ever since. Both are doing well and developing normally. The young female is called Sangala and Kitoko's son is named Sabaki."

It is not all that uncommon for a chimpanzee to adopt another's baby, and this also occurs in the wild, according to the zoo. They explained: "Chimpanzees will sometimes also adopt babies in the wild. Baby chimpanzees are dependent on their mothers for the first six years of their lives.

Basel, Switzerland
Oct. 2021
Zoo Basel

#Baby #Chimp #Cute

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