Rockhampton Zoo to Move Baby Chimpanzee After Mother Rejects Her Again

Cassie’s return to the chimpanzee troop ended with bruises and bite marks. Now Rockhampton Zoo has decided the young chimp must leave central Queensland and join another troop.

Cassie was born at Rockhampton Zoo in June to Sile, a 19-year-old alpha female, but her mother dropped her when she was only hours old. The fall broke Cassie’s leg, forcing keepers to provide round-the-clock care while trying to replicate the social interactions of chimpanzees.

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We've concluded that Cassie needs to find a new troop to go to and become a part of.

After Cassie healed, staff attempted to reintroduce her to Sile and Mary, another adult female in the troop. The reunion failed, with both females showing aggression. Cassie had previously responded positively to the troop through mesh screens, but direct contact left her injured.

Primate team leader Jo Thrower said the zoo had discussed the case with specialists in Australasia and Europe. “We've concluded that Cassie needs to find a new troop to go to and become a part of,” she said.

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Staying in human care she's going to grow up believing she's a human, which will only cause bigger issues down the line when she does eventually go in with chimps.

Thrower said Cassie’s development was progressing well and that she was reaching the appropriate milestones. But remaining in human care could lead her to identify as human, creating greater difficulties when she eventually joins chimpanzees. “The sooner we can get this done the better,” she said.

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The sooner we can get this done the better.

The Rockhampton community has already “loved” Cassie and would prefer to see her grow up locally, Thrower said. The zoo, however, says returning her to the existing troop would put her at risk. It is still working through placement options and has not named the facility that will receive her.

Cassie is the offspring of Sile and the troop’s alpha male, Alon. She was named after Cassius, a chimpanzee who lived at the zoo for nearly 40 years, and a local woman who donated colostrum after Cassie’s birth. She will leave a seven-chimpanzee troop made up of four males and three females.

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