Bhubaneswar, Oct 12 (IANS) The officials at Orissa’s Nandankanan zoo Monday said they have ensured a healthy environment for the chimpanzee who is expected to give birth to her baby early next month.
“We are providing special diets to the pregnant chimp. Our zoo doctors are monitoring her health from time to time,” senior zoo official S. Mohapatra told IANS.

The zoo, located on the outskirts of the capital city Bhubaneswar, houses two female chimps - 19-year-old Pampeta and nine-year-old Purnima - and one male 20-year-old Julu.

“Although they live in one enclosure, we have created a separate isolation chamber inside the same enclosure so that Purnima - the pregnant chimpanzee - can be moved without any trouble,” he said.

“They may be moved to the new chamber any time. We will do it on the advice of the zoo doctors,” Mohapatra said.

“Initially all three would be moved to the new chamber. Later the elderly chimps would return to their original enclosure leaving the pregnant chimpanzee in the new chamber,” he said.

“This we plan to do so that the pregnant chimp should not feel lonely,” he said.

Chimpanzees are advanced primates native to Africa. They resemble humans in many ways and provide an important link to our evolutionary history. However, they are in danger of extinction.

The zoo authorities said they are providing iron and calcium supplement to the would-be mother.

“It was not a planned breeding. It happened accidentally as they live in one enclosure,” Mohapatra said.

Nandankanan zoo, which got its name from Nandan Van, the Garden of God, is spread over an area of 425 hectares and houses over 1,200 wild animals and offers a first-of-its-kind white tiger safari.