Baby Chimp Update from Knoxville

Posted at 1:30 pm on March 02, 2009 by Blog Keeper Tom

Our friends at the Knoxville Zoo recently sent us a picture of their baby chimpanzee "George" interacting for the first time with both his mother, "Daisy," and father, "Jimbo." Some of you may recall, Jimbo was a longtime resident of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo before moving to Knoxville in 2006. He's there on loan for breeding purposes on the recommendation of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan.

Jimbo's first encounter with George went very well, we're told, and the 7-month-old is developing on track. According to Knoxville Zoo, "He's getting all of his front teeth and enjoys Cheerios and applesauce. He is climbing, hanging, laughing and playing. ... George is definitely full of energy but after a while he needs downtime and cuddles with Daisy." You can follow George's development on the "Chimp Family Chronicles" blog.

Meanwhile, here are George, Daisy and Jimbo: