Nzuri
Birth Month November 2022
We received an unplanned but wonderful gift in November 2022. Kimbang, who was rescued from wildlife traffickers, gave birth to a baby girl. Her caregivers named her “Nzuri” (N-ZUR-EE). Originating in East Africa, the name is Swahili and means “good” or “beautiful.”
In December 2015, at just one and half years old, baby Kimbang found safe haven at Sanaga-Yong. She was rescued by Cameroon authorities, after some men, running from the police, dropped the small wooden box in which she was being held captive. She arrived at the sanctuary sad, malnourished, anemic and with old scars around her waist from a rope that had cruelly restrained her.
But with good nutrition and loving care, she grew to be a kind, curious and clever chimpanzee!
Having never seen another chimpanzee care for a baby, Kimbang was immediately loving and protective but unsure how to care for her newborn. Sanaga-Yong staff watched carefully, hoping she would figure out how to nurse her. It took a few hours, but the veterinary staff, managers and Kimbang’s caregivers all breathed sighs of relief when the baby nursed for the first time. Then on the second day, they became concerned again. Kimbang was carrying the infant upside down so she couldn’t nurse, lovingly patting her little upturned bottom whenever she cried. It seemed the new mother didn’t understand the importance of nursing, and it was also possible that it hurt her. Everyone grew increasingly worried throughout the day until suddenly, late in the afternoon on that second day, Kimbang turned the baby right side up so she could nurse and has kept her that way ever since.
While chimpanzees hug and hold their babies the same as human mothers, they don’t carry them. Rather baby chimps cling to their mother’s stomachs. As they grow, they begin to ride on their mother’s backs. Around five or six months of age, babies will start to “wobble walk,” as they learn to become steady on their feet.
As much as the staff loves Nzuri, Sanaga-Yong does not encourage breeding in captivity. To maintain necessary space and funding for orphaned chimpanzees in need of rescue, the staff uses birth control for the female chimpanzees at the sanctuary. Kimbang was on a birth control pill with only one hormone, which is used in pubescent females before they reach adulthood. It’s highly effective, but obviously not 100%!
While the policy of preventing pregnancies is the right one for a sanctuary, everyone was excited and joyful seeing the new mom with her beautiful baby girl!
It’s clear that Kimbang loves her baby very much. And watching the baby grow will be rewarding for everyone in the little community of ten chimpanzees – baby makes 11. These rescued chimps will share a part of life they would not have otherwise experienced living in a sanctuary.
