Heartwarming footage shows the moment a baby chimp who was rejected by her birth mum laughed for the first time.
Eleven-week-old Maisie adorably grins from ear-to-ear as her tummy is tickled by carers in Baltimore on November 3.
The little one weighed just 4lb when she was born at Oklahoma City Zoo on August 2 – but was met with tragedy when first-time mother 12-year-old Nia didn’t take to motherhood.
Maisie, who is seen playing with her cuddly toys in the new video, is currently being hand-reared by staff at the Maryland Zoo after she was transferred.
The Chimp Forest Animal Care team work in three shifts to give the baby chimp around-the-clock care as she waits to be paired with a surrogate mum.
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.’
It comes after another touching video showed a critically endangered chimpanzee cuddling her newborn after she gave birth at Chester Zoo.
The birth of Western chimpanzee Mandy’s baby on August 21 was hailed as ‘hugely significant’ for the species as only 18,000 remain in Africa.
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