Last Wednesday, August 4, Maisie, the 11-month-old chimp at Maryland Zoo, went for the first time to explore the outdoor chimp habitat with Bunny, Lola (mother/daughter), Raven and Violet (also mother/daughter), and it went quite well! Bunny, with Lola on her back, did partially bring Maisie out clinging to her belly, which is the first time we observed this particular behavior.
Maisie, as expected, was a bit nervous at first, but ended up doing lots of exploring and was seen climbing on both the top and bottom platforms. She was observed playing with Lola and Violet on a back corner hammock as well.
The Chimpanzee Forest animal care team also noticed that Lola was very vigilant. Maisie ventured into the thick bamboo and got a bit nervous, perhaps disoriented. Both Lola and Violet quickly responded and helped Maisie find her way out.
Maisie's mother would not care for her and she was brought to The Maryland Zoo in September of 2020 to be hand-reared before being integrated into the Maryland Zoo chimpanzee troop. Maisie will turn 1 on August 28, 2021.
Lola and Violet were both born at The Maryland Zoo. Lola recently turned 2 and Violet is 19-month-old.
