Cassie the chimpanzee begins her new life at Monarto Safari Park

Four-month-old chimpanzee Cassie has safely arrived at Monarto Safari Park after making the mammoth journey from Rockhampton Zoo to her new home.

Following a trip of approximately 28 hours, Cassie’s first stop in South Australia was the Austin Vet Specialists, where she underwent health checks before continuing on to the park.

Primates and carnivores assistant curator Jon Allon said Cassie had settled into her new surroundings after a well-earned rest.

“She was understandably very tired when she arrived, so she had a big sleep overnight, but she’s woken up (on Monday) morning and everything is going really well,” he said.

Shortly after her birth in June, Cassie's mother dropped her, resulting in a broken leg.

Hand-rearing and subsequent re-introduction attempts failed due to maternal aggression.

“Rockhampton Zoo has done a fantastic job caring for Cassie through her recovery, and the CT scan shows her previous injury is healing really well,” Mr Allon said.

Keepers are continuing the around-the-clock care Cassie received in Rockhampton, and supporting her as she settles into her new home and begins the gradual process of becoming familiar with her new chimpanzee troop.

Before arriving, Cassie and the Monarto troop “met” virtually by viewing photos, videos and listening to audio recordings of each other.

For now, Cassie and the troop are now being given opportunities to see, hear and experience one another from a safe distance, rather than moving straight to direct introductions.

“At this stage it’s about getting Cassie comfortable in the building and letting her experience what the Monarto Safari Park chimps are like: the noises they make, how they behave and everything that comes with being around the troop,” Mr Allon said.

“We’re looking for those really important early signs and behaviours before we move towards any physical introductions, and so far the initial signs have been really encouraging.”

Members of the troop are already showing plenty of curiosity about their newest arrival, with some of the adult males approaching to investigate Cassie and displaying play behaviours.

“We’re gradually giving each member of the troop the opportunity to come over, investigate and see her,” Mr Allon said.

“It's still very early days, but so far it's looking really good.”

Cassie will continue to receive 24-seven care while the team carefully monitors her progress, with staff on hand throughout the day and a dedicated night shift supporting her overnight.

The introduction process will move at Cassie and the troop’s pace, with keepers looking for the right behavioural signs before progressing to the next stage.

“We’ll continue this level of care right through until we’re confident things are moving in the right direction and we can begin looking at actual introductions with the troop,” Mr Allon said.

Visitors to Monarto Safari Park may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Cassie during this early stage of her journey.

“There will be times when visitors may be able to see her, but it really depends on where the other chimps are spending their time and what Cassie needs at that moment,” he said.

“She might be having a nap or a feed, or she could be spending time somewhere behind the scenes, but there will certainly be opportunities for visitors to potentially see a glimpse of her throughout the day.”

Zoos SA will continue to share updates on Cassie’s progress over the coming weeks as she settles in and introductions with the troop continue.

• More information: www.monartosafari.com.au/news.
• Read more: Baby chimpanzee will join Monarto Safari Park troop