56-Year-Old Chimp Gives Birth: Big Pics
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Aug. 26, 2010 -- A 56-year-old chimpanzee gave birth last week to a healthy baby at Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kan. Susie, who appears in these photos holding her newborn, is the third oldest chimp in captivity and may be the oldest ever to give birth.
The news came as a surprise to zoo officials, who had recently taken Susie off birth control since zookeepers believed she was too old to get pregnant.
Although the baby still doesn't have a name, Sunset Zoo will host a contest to decide what to call the young chimp.
Zoo officials see this serendipitous event as an opportunity to educate the public about chimpanzee conservation.
"We make every attempt to engage the community in conservation conversations," said Allie Lousch of Sunset Zoo in an e-mail, "and Susie's baby has made that dialogue much more interesting of late."
Photo credit: Zookeeper Regan Slonecker, Sunset Zoo
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