Basma is growing into a healthy young girl with her mother Babes and all the group around her. She has had no health or social problems and has become a part of the group! She is still very young (her first birthday is on 11 July) and is always seen with her mother, Babes.
Basma clings to her mother
Basma and Babes
She is starting to move around more and Babes is happy for the other females to groom her baby. Julie, the oldest female is often seen next to Babes grooming the little one. Jumu, Julie’s spoilt son gets a little jealous after a while and drags Julie away for a grooming of his own!
Julie grooms Basma
Julie gives Jumu some attention
Bintu, Babes’ older daughter also takes good care of Basma, grooming her and giving her lots of attention.
Bintu grooms her younger sister Basma
Happy families: Babes, Bintu and Basma
Basma is adventurous inside the enclosure, exploring the bushes close to Babes. When she sees things outside the enclosure she is wary, and hides behind her mother for protection when she is unsure!
Basma peers at the camera from behind the protection of Babe
One of the two other mothers in the group, Gabi, also spends time with Babes and Basma. Big Lucy is another female often seen around. She is very observant but doesn’t groom, maybe she is learning the tricks of being a mother for the future!
Babes, Basma and Gabi
Big Lucy observes Babes with Basma
Big Lucy watches Julie grooming Basma
It is one of our commitments as a sanctuary that we prevent captive breeding, ensuring that our limited resources are focused on the care and protection of wild chimpanzees. We use contraceptive implants with our females rather than any form of permanent sterilisation – but accidents can happen!! Hopefully as we achieve our long term aim of releasing our chimps back to the wild, they will have the chance to raise their own families.
A very quick update on the youngsters in quarantine….
Benita has finished her 3 month quarantine period and like the others, is waiting for us to create space in the enclosures for her. She is a very loving, gentle girl.
Kangari, small as he is, is as fearsome as ever! He is keeping his wild characteristics and only likes Mama Posseh. He doesn’t like anyone else going near him and is learning how to display already! As he is more settled he is starting to play, and can often be seen swinging round and round on his ropes! He gets very jealous whenever he sees the other infants with Mama Posseh.
Tompey is making good progress and getting stronger each day.She still cries quite a lot, and is at her happiest when being carried on Posseh’s back.
Basma is a precious little girl! I know she was born due to failed birth control but I am happy to see a baby being raised by her mother and bringing the group closer. Babes is a good mother and the others will learn from her and hopefully take that knowledge when they go back to the wild. Happy to hear the newest arrivals are settling in. Mama Posseh is the greatest!
I understand you take precautions but I too am pleased to see the chimps able to become whole families, learning to parent and groom and share etc..Do the elder females or males adopt any of the younger babies when they arrive..and care for them as their own? Do they form family groups even when theyare not directly related?
Yes, chimps at tacugama are socialised into groups as similar as they would be in the wild. Often older chimps (males and females alike)adopt younger ones in the groups. They protect them, play with them, carry them. Chimpanzees have a soft heart for youngters as humans do.
Adorable pics showing family love!