Chimp birth live on the web

2013-01-15 09:38

Nina the chimp in on the cusp of giving birth in the first online chimp delivery (http://www.chimpeden.com)

Cape Town - A pregnant 9-year-old chimpanzee is on the cusp of giving birth in the first online live broadcast of a chimp delivery.

The Jane Goodall Institute in Mpumalanga has installed a “Nina cam” after the 9 year old pregnant chimpanzee called Nina went into labour. The event is being streamed live on the internet.

A non-invasive camera is monitoring the chimp’s progress and providing live video streaming 24 hours a day. David Oosthuizen, executive director of the Institute, said the birth is expected to take place in the evening or early morning.

Nina was rescued six years ago in South Sudan where hunters had captured her for bush-meat. She was quarantined along with four other infant chimps Thomas, Charlie, Dinka, and Zee who eventually made their way to the Chimp Eden sanctuary which is managed by the institute.

According to Oosthuizen “Chimp Eden is a rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary and as such has a very strict non-breeding policy”. Nina’s contraceptive implant failed; an occurrence which happens in captive female chimpanzees.

Staff at the sanctuary are wary of potential complications at birth as Nina is not yet a fully matured female. Oosthuizen said wild female chimps are only ready to breed from the age of 15 years. Nina could experience physical difficulties during birth or reject the baby.

Chimpanzees are endangered species and now occur in limited numbers in central African countries like Gabon, the DRC, and Cameroon.
 

- News24