Rare western chimpanzee born at Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo has welcomed a rare Western baby chimpanzee, part of a critically endangered species, to its fold.

Footage showed proud mum Zee Zee cradling her newborn male baby born on December 9, 2022.The yet unnamed baby is doing well and has been bonding with his mum and 22 other members of his family.

Western chimpanzees are the first chimpanzee subspecies to be added to the list of critically threatened apes by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Only some 18,000 Western chimpanzees remain across Africa, and work by zoo conservationists to help prevent their extinction is currently undergoing in Gabon, Uganda and Nigeria.Chimpanzees, among the most intelligent animals on the planet, share 98% of their genetic makeup with humans.