Katharine Child
NINA, a nine-year-old chimpanzee at the Jane Goodall Institute, is set to become a rather unorthodox celebrity this week when she gives birth.
The birth – expected to go viral – is going to be streamed live on the internet from the Mpumalanga-based institute via webcam at www.chimpeden.com.
A night vision camera will capture the action if Nina goes into labour when it's dark.
The sanctuary's executive director, David Devo Oosthuizen, said even though Nina's pregnancy was an "accident" – after the failure of a contraceptive implant – the institute decided to share the unexpected event with its thousands of social media followers around the world.
"We want to tell a story," he said. The centre first thought Nina had a massive tumour, but then realised she was pregnant.
The sanctuary does not breed chimpanzees due to space constraints.
Nina comes from South Sudan where she was rescued from poachers who had captured her as part of the wild bush meat trade.
She was first kept in a Sudanese zoo before the institute removed her along with other chimpanzees, including one named Thomas, thought to be the baby's father.
Because Nina was deprived of a normal childhood, this could lead to complications with her infant.
"We hope instinct kicks in and she doesn't reject the baby," Oosthuizen said.
A first-time chimpanzee mother is usually 15 years old, meaning Nina is a very young mother.
