Tickled chimp! Adorable moment 11-week-old ape Maisie laughs for the very first time at Maryland Zoo
This is the adorable moment an 11-week old baby chimp laughs for the first time while getting a tickle from her zookeeper carers at Maryland Zoo.
Baby chimp Maisie was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo in late August but moved to Maryland Zoo to be hand-reared after her birth mum rejected motherhood.
Exactly like a human baby, Maisie is playing with toys and learning to interact.
The cute footage that was filmed at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore on November 3 shows Maisie playing with human baby toys and giggling with a wide grin at carers, who give her a tickle under her arms.
She is due to be paired with a surrogate chimp mum – but for now is being given round the clock care by zoo keepers.
The Chimp Forest Animal Care team work in three shifts around the clock to provide her constant care.
The 11-week- old chimp named Maisie laughs for the first time as the zookeeper tickles her
Little Maisie was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo in late August but moved to Maryland Zoo after her birth mum rejected motherhood
Pam Carter, area manager said: ‘Maisie drinks baby formula every three hours, sleeps, and has some playtime every day to help strengthen her muscles.
‘We also wear a shirt and blanket that have fringe material sewn on that helps her learn to grip.’
Maisie was born weighing approximately 4lb to first-time mother Nia, a 12-year-old chimpanzee, on August 28.
Maisie will be paired with a surrogate chimp mum – but for now is being given round the clock care by zoo keepers
Like humans, chimps are highly social animals, care for their offspring for years and can live to be over 50.
Although they normally walk on all fours they can also stand and walk upright.
They are classed as an endangered species as they have already disappeared completely from four countries.
Research has shown that chimpazees learn at the same rate as humans – gross motor skills begin to emerge at around four months, communication traits at 12 months, social interaction skills at 14 months and fine motor skills at 15 months.