Infant chimp Masindi celebrates her second birthday at Edinburgh Zoo
Masindi, a Western chimpanzee, is the youngest of the troop at the zoo’s Budongo Trail.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An infant chimpanzee from a critically endangered species has celebrated her second birthday at Edinburgh Zoo.
Western chimpanzee Masindi, the youngest of the troop at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland zoo’s Budongo Trail, spent her big day on Thursday opening presents filled with delicious treats including straw, peanuts, sunflower seeds and chickpeas.
The two-year-old shares her name with the nearest town to the Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda where the zoological society has funded efforts to protect chimpanzees in the Budongo forest since 2005.
Masindi is one of almost 3,000 animals at Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park.
There are thought to be less than 50,000 Western chimpanzees left in the wild. They are found in forests across the Ivory Coast Guinea Liberia Mali and Sierra Leone.