Rare Western Chimpanzee Born at Chester Zoo, Birth Gives Hope for the Critically Endangered Species

Chester Zoo is celebrating as it welcomes a newborn Western chimpanzee into the family. The birth of the still-unnamed chimpanzee gives hope for the already critically endangered species.

Chester Zoo Welcomes Mum ZeeZee's Newborn Western Chimpanzee

ZeeZee was pregnant eight times before she finally gave birth to her newborn, a boy, on Dec. 9. The baby chimpanzee has not been named yet, Daily Mail reported.

Andrew Lenihan, team manager at the attraction, said they were incredibly proud to witness a new addition to the chimpanzee family. The new mom and her baby reportedly bonded instantly when the newborn arrived. ZeeZee is reportedly doing a good job in looking after her child. She cradles and feeds him.

Great ape experts said the baby chimpanzee is in good health and has spent his first few weeks bonding with his mom and the rest of the 22 western chimps in the zoo.

According to Lenihan, a birth creates excitement in the group, and raising youngsters becomes a family affair. It is reportedly evident in ZeeZee's family. Females often lend a hand to help raise a baby chimp, and ZeeZee's daughter, Stevie, is doing that. She's reportedly helping raise her baby brother to give their mom her needed rest.

The baby Western chimpanzee has not been given a name yet. However, the zoo has a tradition of naming their baby chimps after famous rock and pop stars to help raise urgent attention for the charismatic species. They previously named their youngsters Dylan (Bob), Alice (Cooper), and Annie (Lennox.)

Chester Zoo released photos and videos of the mother and son's bonding.

How Significant is the New Birth to the Western Chimpanzees' Future

The arrival of a new chimp is very important to the species because they are under imminent threat of extinction. There are only about 50,000 Western chimpanzees. Their number had declined by 80 percent in the last decades, according to Western Chimp.

According to Chester Zoo, there are as few as 18,000 Western chimpanzees across Africa. It is the first subspecies of chimpanzees declared Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

There are still small populations of Western chimpanzees from Senegal to Ghana in West Africa. However, they have become extinct in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo.

Eight West African nations make up the western chimpanzees' geographic range, which includes a wide variety of habitats, from the humid tropical forests that line the coast to the mountainous Nimba and Lofa regions up north to the undulating highlands of the Fouta-Djallon and the mosaic of savanna that touches the Sudano Sahel.

Chimpanzees and humans have coexisted for thousands of years. However, while the human population has continued to rise, theirs has declined in recent years.

Check out more news and information on Chimpanzees in Science Times.