The Great Ape Trust celebrated a new arrival this week. After more than 70 hours of labor, humans and apes welcomed baby Teco into the world. He is the first bonobo born at the research facility in Des Moines Tuesday evening.
"This is a big baby. It has long hair. It has kinda pageboy. I've never seen that in a bonobo before," says William Fields, director of scientific research at The Great Ape Trust. Teco is the son of Elikya and Kanzi. Kanzi is known for being the first bonobo to demonstrate an understanding of language.
Elikya now has her own claim to fame. She didn't need any help delivering her baby. "The fact that the mother self-delivered, we are really amazed by that. The fact that they are happy and healthy, it's a big event," says Fields.
Three generations of bonobos live at The Trust. Scientists say Teco's birth is rare. Only about 150 bonobos live in captivity worldwide. Fields says the newborn will help preserve the endangered species and further the scientific study of the bonobo. "We have the opportunity to correlate the genetic information with behavioral data. So we're really excited about that," he says.
While Teco is the first, Fields says he won't be the last. Baby Teco is named after Townsend Engineering Company in Des Moines. Former owner Ted Townsend founded The Great Ape Trust and the company has donated nearly $200,000 to the cause.
"This is a big baby. It has long hair. It has kinda pageboy. I've never seen that in a bonobo before," says William Fields, director of scientific research at The Great Ape Trust. Teco is the son of Elikya and Kanzi. Kanzi is known for being the first bonobo to demonstrate an understanding of language.
Elikya now has her own claim to fame. She didn't need any help delivering her baby. "The fact that the mother self-delivered, we are really amazed by that. The fact that they are happy and healthy, it's a big event," says Fields.
Three generations of bonobos live at The Trust. Scientists say Teco's birth is rare. Only about 150 bonobos live in captivity worldwide. Fields says the newborn will help preserve the endangered species and further the scientific study of the bonobo. "We have the opportunity to correlate the genetic information with behavioral data. So we're really excited about that," he says.
While Teco is the first, Fields says he won't be the last. Baby Teco is named after Townsend Engineering Company in Des Moines. Former owner Ted Townsend founded The Great Ape Trust and the company has donated nearly $200,000 to the cause.
