A baby bonobo was born May 30 at the Milwaukee County Zoo, the zoo announced in a news release. Now, it’s ready for visitors.
The baby is 12-year-old mother Elema’s firstborn ape. Both are “healthy and doing well,” according to the release.
“Elema is a highly attentive mother and holds her baby close or cradles the new addition in her lap,” the zoo reported.
Bonobos are about 2 to 4 pounds when they’re born and are cared for by their mothers for several years. The rest of the zoo’s bonobos — its troop — will also play supportive roles in the baby’s social development.
Zookeepers don’t want to disturb the mother’s bond with her newborn, so the baby has not been weighed yet and its gender not identified. Also, it has yet to be named.
Bonobos are an endangered species of Great Ape native to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The baby is the zoo’s first bonobo born since 2016, making its troop 19 strong — “one of the largest populations in human care,” the zoo wrote.
Milwaukee County Zoo and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee collaborate with other organizations in a care and conservation plan for bonobos.
Note: This story was updated to add a photo.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New baby bonobo born at Milwaukee County Zoo
Reporting by Kylie Volavongsa, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
