Keepers at Rockhampton Zoo in central Queensland are continuing to hand-rear a baby chimpanzee named Cassie after an attempted reunion with her mother, Sile, ended in aggression.
Sile gave birth to Cassie in June 2026 but dropped her shortly after birth, resulting in a broken leg for the baby chimp. Due to the injury, Cassie required 24/7 care from keepers until she fully healed.
Zoo curator Blair Chapman explained that the team facilitated interactions between Cassie and the rest of the chimp troop through screens. "We were seeing all the positive signs leading up to attempting the first introduction," Chapman said. However, "Unfortunately, Sile did show aggression towards Cassie, so we did end up having to cease the introduction and pull Cassie back out."
Despite the setback, another chimp named Mary showed significant interest in Cassie, prompting the team to proceed with an introduction involving Mary. Chapman noted, "Because of the positive behaviour that we were seeing with Mary showing a lot of interest — Mary asking for the baby — we proceeded with that introduction."
Chapman emphasized that hand-raising is a last resort, stating, "Obviously, we needed to intervene because of the substantial break that she had to her femur."
Cassie was named in honor of Cassius, a chimpanzee who was a resident at Rockhampton Zoo for nearly 40 years, as well as a local woman named Cassie who donated colostrum to assist in her care.
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