It's a girl!

Published on 21 February 2018

Visitors to Rockhampton Zoo are set to see a sight found nowhere else in the state, with the arrival of a baby chimpanzee last week.

Parks Committee Chair Councillor Cherie Rutherford said the arrival had been received with much hype in the community and exclusively revealed the latest update to the Courier Mail.

“We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the new chimpanzee is a little girl,” Cr Rutherford said.

“Both her and her mum, Leakey, are doing very well and the dad, Alon, is acting just like any curious and nervous new father. They are all very much the perfect image of doting new parents and a perfect little baby at this moment.

“We’ve had the area cordoned off to the public this past week to give the parents some downtime to get used to their new life, but we’re very excited to be reopening that space today so the public can come meet the newest member of the family,” Cr Rutherford said.

Rockhampton Zoo Life Sciences Coordinator Graeme Strachan said it was incredibly pleasing to see both mum and baby reaching all the key milestones.

“Leakey and her baby are doing all the right things at this point which is really wonderful to see, especially for a first time mum like Leakey who is learning,” Mr Strachan said.

“The most important behaviour we’ve observed just recently is that breastfeeding has begun and is going really well.

“Aside from that, Leakey just dotes on her baby and it’s been such an incredible experience for our zoo staff that we can’t wait to share with the public in the very near future,” Mr Strachan said.

Leakey’s baby is the first chimpanzee to be born in Queensland since probably the mid-1970s.

Rockhampton Zoo is open 7 days a week to the public for free - find out more here.