The life of Chimpanzee as seen through Sakura's childbirth and parenting.
May 29, 2026
Approximately seven months have passed since Sakura (female, born in 2009), Chimpanzee at Tama Zoo, gave birth to Hayate (male) on September 30, 2025. Hayate is growing up healthy and is very interested in what Sakura is eating, and is always nibbling on it.
It is deeply moving for us to see Sakura, who came from Kochi Prefectural Noichi Zoological Park in 2017, become accustomed to the flock and even become a mother.
Sakura's pregnancies and births were not always smooth. In 2019, Sakura became pregnant once but suffered an early miscarriage. After that, she occasionally seemed lethargic, so a veterinarian performed an examination under anesthesia. A gynecologist specializing in great apes also examined her, and it was confirmed that there were no major abnormalities.
So last year, we tried pairing her with "Fubuki" (male, born in 2014) again, and thankfully, she became pregnant and gave birth.
Because first-time female Chimpanzee are often less able to care for their babies than mothers who have given birth before, preparations were being made for artificial feeding in case the first birth didn't go well. However, when she actually gave birth, she held and cared for her baby properly, and she looked very happy.
Since Sakura arrived, four cubs have been born and raised at Tama Zoo. Sakura was interested in the other cubs and took good care of them. That experience is probably proving useful in raising her own cubs this time.
One of the most memorable moments as Sakura and Hayate were introduced to the flock was when Sakura was reunited with "Miru" (female, born in 2002) and Miru's offspring "Shijimi" (female, born in 2024) for the first time since giving birth.
When they reunited, they greeted each other more politely and repeatedly than when they had met the other females, and Mil responded in kind, as the two embraced, each with a cub in their belly.
Nine years ago, when Sakura first arrived at Tama, Miru treated her kindly. I remember when Sakura was scared on her first time out into the enclosure, Miru walked in front of her and guided her around.
From observing their reunion, I was reminded once again that Miru, Sakura's first friend and mentor in Tama, is a very important and special person to her.
Currently, Sakura and Hayate can be seen spending time together in the enclosure with the other members. Hayate and Shijimi show interest in each other and touch each other.
When other cubs approach, Sakura will sometimes hug Hayate to create some distance, but when Miru and her cub are nearby, she watches over Hayate and Shijimi from afar without interfering. The friendship between the two continues even now that they are both mothers.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the children grow, and also to seeing how they grow as parents in the future.
I can't help but silently cheer on Sakura, saying, "You did a great job!"
[Tama Zoo, Tama Zoological Park]