These adorable photos show a critically endangered female chimpanzee lovingly cradling her newborn after giving birth at a British zoo.

Mandy is a Western chimpanzee who, at the impressive age of 43, gave birth at Chester Zoo at the end of August after an eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy.

Mandy is a Western chimpanzee who, at the impressive age of 43, gave birth at Chester Zoo at the end of August after an eight-and-a-half-month pregnancy.

Primate experts at the zoo are yet to determine the sex of the new arrival, but they've declared the birth as "hugely significant" for the species.

New estimates suggest that as few as 18,000 Western chimpanzees remain in Africa, and it's the first subspecies of chimpanzee to be added to the list of critically endangered apes.

So how is Mom and her new family member getting on? Andy Lenihan, Team Manager of the Primates section at Chester Zoo, said, "She's bonded instantly with her new baby and can be seen protectively cradling it in her left arm at all times.

"It's a little too soon to tell if her new arrival is male or female as a newborn chimpanzee will remain in the arms of mom for several months until they develop the confidence to start exploring independently.

"Most importantly though, it's bright eyed, alert and getting stronger by the day."

Lenihan went on to explain that Mom hasn't been left to do all the childcare alone, saying, "A new arrival always creates a lot of excitement—it's a real extended-family affair as many of the females in the group often want to help to take care of the newcomer while, for some of the juvenilles, seeing a mom with a new baby is a completely new experience.

"It's great to see the other youngsters watching Mandy closely and learning from such a natural mother."

Cheers to Mom, and her new baby, for helping the global effort to ensure there's a viable safety-net population of these amazing chimps.

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