​MARIA & LUCIA: TWO YEARS OLD!

Wild chimpanzees are blissfully unaware of birthdays.
But we at least welcomed the birthdays of two of the group's infants, Maria and Lucia (born to mothers Mirinda and Maureen, respectively), who both turned two years old last week.

Infant mortality is generally high in wild chimpanzees. Indeed, a third infant (Kasatu) born to Jemima during the same week in April 2016, sadly died in February during a flu outbreak among the chimps. So, it's a relief to see Maria and Lucia make it into their third year, healthy and developing into unique little characters. We hope we'll be able to celebrate their birthdays for many years to come!