First infant-rearing for Puchi: How the infant Pico was reunited with the mother
Chimpanzee Puchi gave birth to her offspring back in 1982 and 1983. Because she showed no sign of maternal behavior, they were reared by human caretakers. In 2003, a newborn chimpanzee, Pico, was found on a platform beside an adult female with prior infant-rearing experience. Pico was temporally cared for by humans until she recovered her strength. One week later, Pico first visited her biological mother Puchi and they interacted through metal bars. The next day, an experienced human keeper entered a room with Pico and let Puchi freely interact with her infant. When Pico vocalized, Puchi appeared to try to comfort her, but failed to hold the newborn. On the next day, while Puchi was grooming the keeper in a calm and relaxed mood, the keeper put Pico against the mother’s belly. Puchi finally succeeded in holding her infant and gradually adopting appropriate maternal behaviors, including breast feeding.
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