BALTIMORE, MD – The people have spoken! The public was asked to choose the name of the newest chimpanzee born at the Maryland Zoo. Voters could pay to choose from three possible names: Astrid, Iris, and Ivy. And the winner is… Ivy.
Baby Ivy was born to Rozi (pronounced ROSE-ee) as part of a recommendation by Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival plan. A few weeks after Ivy’s birth, the Zoo’s animal care staff noticed a decline in the infant’s health and became concerned that she was not receiving enough of her mother’s milk. The Zoo’s veterinarians were able to stabilize her and keepers are pleased with Ivy’s progress.
Ivy is still living behind the scenes until she is old enough to be introduced to other members of Maryland Zoo’s chimpanzee troop – a slow process that will take place over the next several months.
In the coming months, baby Ivy will join Maryland Zoo’s three other juvenile chimps: Lola, who was born in July 2019 (to Zoo parents Bunny and Jack); Violet was born in December of 2019 (to Zoo parents Raven and Louie); and, Maisie was born in August 2020 (mother is at the Oklahoma Zoo) and came to Maryland Zoo in September of that year.
Chimpanzees learn from birth how to get along in a group. They watch their mothers and other members of the group and learn everything from them: how to feed, where to sleep, how to groom, how to “read” other chimps’ behaviors, and how to interact with others.
They are an endangered species with only about 150,000 wild chimpanzees living in African forests today, down from one to two million in 1900. They are endangered for many reasons, including poaching, habitat loss, and disease introduced by humans. Much of their habitat has been lost to deforestation in response to logging, creation of farmland, and other human encroachment.
Click image for full size slideshow
Share this article