Australasian Common Chimpanzee Population

[Zoofan15]

Hamilton Zoo Update

Update from my visit (29/10/2025):

Spoiler: Hamilton Zoo’s Chimpanzee Troop (2025)

1.0 Lucifer (16/06/1988) Mike x Lucy
1.0 Luka (28/02/1993) Mike x Lucy
0.1 Lucy (24/11/1975) Bobby x Lulu
0.1 Sanda (10/04/1985) Peter x Fimi
0.1 Chiku (15/02/2016) Luka x Sanda
0.1 Kendi (17/12/2020) Luka x Sanda
0.1 Zuri (27/06/2025) Luka x Sanda

I visited Hamilton Zoo yesterday and found Luka, Lucifer, Chiku and Kendi outside on the platforms, which is the favoured spot of the chimpanzees during fine weather. Chiku is often found in Luka’s company these days and Kendi has become very independent of her mother, often interacting with Chiku or the adults of the troop.



Sanda was inside the Exploritorium and didn’t have Zuri on her (which is nothing unusual for Sanda). I assume Zuri was in the bedding on the adjacent ledge (as this is usually where Sanda leaves her), but didn’t see her to confirm that.



The floor of the Exploratorium has been layered with mulch.



Interestingly, this marks the second consecutive visit where I haven’t seen Lucy. The keeper assured me she was fine last time I visited and was choosing to be in the off display dens. It is however unusual to see her and Lucifer apart if she had the choice to join him outside.

 

[Zoofan15]

Monarto Safari Park - Annual Report

From the 2024/2025 annual report:

This year, the primate team has been working through the social dynamics in our Chimpanzee troop caused by the death of the alpha male, Tsotsi, last year.

As yet, no clear alpha has emerged, so monitoring the female and male dynamics within the troop has been challenging.

Female Galatea lost her second infant shortly after birth, despite attentive and appropriate care by her. Ongoing investigations into her reproductive health are underway.

As per the July 2025 update from @Swanson02, it’s suspected Galatea may suffer from endometriosis. She’s conceived twice previously, albeit losing both infants, so hopefully she will be successful in conceiving again in the future and next time produce a surviving infant.

 

[Jambo]

Boyd recently turned 47, and Monarto have provided a nice little update on him. Following Cassius's death earlier this year, Boyd is now the oldest male chimp in the region. It's great to see his nice little relationship with young Happy!

 

[Zoofan15]

Boyd recently turned 47, and Monarto have provided a nice little update on him. Following Cassius's death earlier this year, Boyd is now the oldest male chimp in the region. It's great to see his nice little relationship with young Happy!

47 years is an impressive age for a male chimpanzee. Boyd’s father (Tom) died at 40 years; his mother (Bebe) at 41 years; and his two brothers to survive to adulthood (Snowy and Marty) died at 16 and 35 years (albeit one of them due to misadventure/drowning).

After Boyd, the next eldest male is Fritz (1982), who is himself only one of two male chimpanzees in the region born in the 1980’s (the other being Lucifer at Hamilton Zoo).

Being sent to Monarto has proved such a good move for Boyd. He was resentful of being displaced from the alpha role at Wellington; but after acquiring and conceding the alpha role at Monarto, he’s found his niche as a wide elder of the troop so to speak.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

That's interesting about there still being no clear alpha. I'd expected Sandali to step up, but I suppose the still strong presence of the Boyd-Gombe dyad prevents that. Enzi is, I believe, still too young as yet, but I do think with time he will achieve sufficient support within the troop, especially from his mother Zombi, and will likely have a long reign due to forging tight connections as well as having a dominant presence due to strength and size.

 

[Zoofan15]

That's interesting about there still being no clear alpha. I'd expected Sandali to step up, but I suppose the still strong presence of the Boyd-Gombe dyad prevents that. Enzi is, I believe, still too young as yet, but I do think with time he will achieve sufficient support within the troop, especially from his mother Zombi, and will likely have a long reign due to forging tight connections as well as having a dominant presence due to strength and size.

According to keepers, the front-runners are Sandali and Gombe. Boyd has been discounted due to his age, though he’s still very involved in politics and apparently determined not to end up on the bottom of the hierarchy. He lends support to Gombe. Enzi has been making inroads and has started building relationships with the females of the troop via grooming. By building up a rapport with them, he increases his support for the bid for the alpha role.

My prediction is Enzi will become the next alpha, preceded by a period of no alpha until he has sufficient support to do so. It’s been two years since Tsotsi died and neither Gombe or Sandali have gained sufficient support in this time. Barring any major shift in the dynamics (e.g. the death of Gombe’s supporter Boyd), I doubt that’ll change in whatever time Enzi needs to successfully rise through the ranks.

Lubutu at Taronga and Alon at Rockhampton held the alpha role at Enzi’s age; though since this was by default, a better comparison would be Sonny at Taronga Zoo who at the age of 10 years, overthrew the existing alpha, a male who had gained the position by default and was a weak leader.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

According to keepers, the front-runners are Sandali and Gombe. Boyd has been discounted due to his age, though he’s still very involved in politics and apparently determined not to end up on the bottom of the hierarchy. He lends support to Gombe. Enzi has been making inroads and has started building relationships with the females of the troop via grooming. By building up a rapport with them, he increases his support for the bid for the alpha role.

My prediction is Enzi will become the next alpha, preceded by a period of no alpha until he has sufficient support to do so. It’s been two years since Tsotsi died and neither Gombe or Sandali have gained sufficient support in this time. Barring any major shift in the dynamics (e.g. the death of Gombe’s supporter Boyd), I doubt that’ll change in whatever time Enzi needs to successfully rise through the ranks.

Lubutu at Taronga and Alon at Rockhampton held the alpha role at Enzi’s age; though since this was by default, a better comparison would be Sonny at Taronga Zoo who at the age of 10 years, overthrew the existing alpha, a male who had gained the position by default and was a weak leader.

I too believe the succession will go as you've predicted, unless Boyd suddenly passes away. Although Sandali is popular with the females, when it comes time for Enzi to assert himself, Zombi is almost certain to back him, and the other females, due to Enzi ingratiating himself as you've mentioned, will likely fall into line with Zombi.

Perhaps we'll get both Enzi's parents choosing to back him, with Sandali assuming the beta male role.

 

[Zoofan15]

I too believe the succession will go as you've predicted, unless Boyd suddenly passes away. Although Sandali is popular with the females, when it comes time for Enzi to assert himself, Zombi is almost certain to back him, and the other females, due to Enzi ingratiating himself as you've mentioned, will likely fall into line with Zombi.

Perhaps we'll get both Enzi's parents choosing to back him, with Sandali assuming the beta male role.

I agree we can rely on Zombi to back Enzi and as the alpha female, she holds significant sway in the group. It’s appears the support from the other adult females isn’t quite at the level needed to see Enzi take the position, but there’s no reason to doubt that won’t come in the next couple of years.

To be honest, I can see Sandali being too focussed on his own goal of becoming alpha to support a male currently ranked beneath him (even if Enzi surpassing him is inevitable). Long term, I anticipate Happy will be Enzi’s right hand man. Born seven years after Enzi, he’s unlikely to ever have a shot at alpha. By the time Enzi ages out, they’ll be adolescent and prime aged males much younger than him and Happy.

In contrast to Taronga, Wellington and Hamilton, the social dynamics of Monarto’s troop are unusual in that none of the three adult males were born in the troop and so all three lack maternal support. Historically, this was common - Mike at Auckland, Peter at Adelaide, Teddy at Melbourne etc. but increasingly, we can expect to see most/all males born in the region to remain in their natal troop.

 

[marmolady]

The impression I’ve been getting is that a lot of the jockeying for position has been a case of trying to avoid the bottom of the hierarchy as opposed to making a concerted push for the top spot. As with other posters, I suspect this stalemate will last until either Enzi is adequately mature or Boyd passes.

Enzi certainly looks the part. At only ten years old he is a magnificent male, the largest in the group. Once he has the social savvy to put behind the muscle he will be an absolute force to be reckoned with— not least because he has Zombi on his side.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

@Zoofan15 @marmolady - very good points! In the end, a lot will depend on Boyd's longevity and what will happen when Enzi is a little older.

@Zoofan15 - slight tangent - but are either Sandali or Zombi related to the Hamilton chimps? I know that Monarto would never have been seen as a possible destination for Chiku and Kendi while Tsotsi was alive, but if they aren't related, Happy is the only male who likely is related and he is unlikely to become a breeding male if and when Enzi becomes alpha. Monarto could then be a possible destination for the Hamilton girls.

 

[marmolady]

Sandali is related to Luka, but not closely. Zombi is unrelated to everyone in the region bar her own children.

 

[Zoofan15]

@Zoofan15 @marmolady - very good points! In the end, a lot will depend on Boyd's longevity and what will happen when Enzi is a little older.

@Zoofan15 - slight tangent - but are either Sandali or Zombi related to the Hamilton chimps? I know that Monarto would never have been seen as a possible destination for Chiku and Kendi while Tsotsi was alive, but if they aren't related, Happy is the only male who likely is related and he is unlikely to become a breeding male if and when Enzi becomes alpha. Monarto could then be a possible destination for the Hamilton girls.

Zombi is of no relation. She was imported from Burgers Zoo in 2010 and is a founder to the region.

Sandali is related to Hamilton’s chimpanzees (bar Sanda) via their shared Taronga ancestry. Lucy was born at Taronga Zoo to Bobby and Lulu. Bobby’s son Jojo (via Fifi) was the sire of Sacha (mother of Sandali). It’s not a close relation (especially when you consider Sanda is unrelated to the Bobby line), so if Sandali turned out to be Happy’s sire, I could definitely see it happening. Sydney Zoo would be another strong candidate for Chiku and Kendi in my opinion.

If Zola is sired by Tsotsi as we all seem to have predicted, I can see Monarto sending her to Taronga Zoo along with Hope and Zuri. The three females would provide invaluable support to each other, even if Zuri has limited breeding application due to her close relation. Sandali’s brothers are the alpha and beta.

 

[marmolady]

I would be disappointed if Zuri went to Taronga when there are much better genetic matches for a female with great potential as a mother and one of only three living descendants of the Burgers import. I would rather see her go to Sydney, Rockhampton or Wellington, and perhaps Monarto and Hamilton effectively swap two young females from each group (in the event that Happy was sired by Sandali).

 

[Zoofan15]

I would be disappointed if Zuri went to Taronga when there are much better genetic matches for a female with great potential as a mother and one of only three living descendants of the Burgers import. I would rather see her go to Sydney, Rockhampton or Wellington, and perhaps Monarto and Hamilton effectively swap two young females from each group (in the event that Happy was sired by Sandali).

I agree there are better destinations for her from a genetic standpoint. Rockhampton would be the best imo if she’s to go alone; or one of the others if others accompany her.

The thing to consider of course with what females transfer where is how hostile their reception is likely to be coming into a new troop:

Taronga is the most hostile by far, with multiple dominant and imposing females. They’ve publicly stated future introductions will be undertaken of family groups rather than individuals. With that in mind, introducing a trio of related (or closely bonded) females is my expectation.

Sydney Zoo I would rank second due to Leakey, a known troublemaker. Give her a few years to establish and her daughter to mature and she’ll be a force to be reckoned with. My prediction would be for a pair of related females, with the size of the exhibit ruling out larger numbers.

Monarto have provided amenable to newcomers. Lani and Hannah made a seamless transition. How Hannah (now a mother of two) would react to newcomers is an unknown; but due to the size of the troop how, I’d predict a minimum of two females for any future acquisitions.

Wellington Zoo are hard to call because they’ve had no introductions since 1992! Several females are potentially problematic. Cara is the mother of the alpha male; Sally is the highest ranking female and a large chimpanzee; Keza and Malika are sisters, who will be supporting each other. Again, a minimum of two would be my expectation.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

I agree there are better destinations for her from a genetic standpoint. Rockhampton would be the best imo if she’s to go alone; or one of the others if others accompany her.

The thing to consider of course with what females transfer where is how hostile their reception is likely to be coming into a new troop:

Taronga is the most hostile by far, with multiple dominant and imposing females. They’ve publicly stated future introductions will be undertaken of family groups rather than individuals. With that in mind, introducing a trio of related (or closely bonded) females is my expectation.

Sydney Zoo I would rank second due to Leakey, a known troublemaker. Give her a few years to establish and her daughter to mature and she’ll be a force to be reckoned with. My prediction would be for a pair of related females, with the size of the exhibit ruling out larger numbers.

Monarto have provided amenable to newcomers. Lani and Hannah made a seamless transition. How Hannah (now a mother of two) would react to newcomers is an unknown; but due to the size of the troop how, I’d predict a minimum of two females for any future acquisitions.

Wellington Zoo are hard to call because they’ve had no introductions since 1992! Several females are potentially problematic. Cara is the mother of the alpha male; Sally is the highest ranking female and a large chimpanzee; Keza and Malika are sisters, who will be supporting each other. Again, a minimum of two would be my expectation.

It'll be very interesting to see who ends up going where and in what combinations. My hope for the future, though, is now that there are two females named Zuri in the region, that both of them won't end up at the same zoo! If they do, we'll likely get them called something ridiculous like Big Zuri and Little Zuri, which will be beyond annoying. Auckland Zoo, many years ago, had two Janes and one became Little Jane, although the first Jane, last survivor of the tea party chimps who went on to outlive the younger Little Jane, ended up being known as Janie.

 

[Zoofan15]

It'll be very interesting to see who ends up going where and in what combinations. My hope for the future, though, is now that there are two females named Zuri in the region, that both of them won't end up at the same zoo! If they do, we'll likely get them called something ridiculous like Big Zuri and Little Zuri, which will be beyond annoying. Auckland Zoo, many years ago, had two Janes and one became Little Jane, although the first Jane, last survivor of the tea party chimps who went on to outlive the younger Little Jane, ended up being known as Janie.

If Rockhampton Zoo hadn’t acquired so many chimpanzees from Sydney Zoo of late, I would have considered them a suitable designation for Sembe (2008) from Taronga and Zuri (2012) from Monarto. Both have limited options within the region due to their Taronga ancestry, so pairing them with Alon would have been ideal. The Rockhampton troop would have been a comparatively safe option for lone females coming in as opposed to larger, established troops.

It’s been implied Sydney Zoo will only undertake breeding with Leakey at Sydney Zoo (as opposed to their imported females). Presumably this is due to the relatedness of their troop and the age of the two imported females (40 and 41 years). Since their breeding male is 43 years old, it would be ideal if Leakey could produce a son. He could be retained (as per the natural social order) and then unrelated females could immigrate into the troop down the line to breed with him. As the son of two founders, there would be a large number of females in the region unrelated to him including every female at Taronga, Wellington, Monarto and Hamilton.

Leakey’s daughter Mzuri could then transfer out at adolescence as these new females are coming in. Fritz (elderly male) is unlikely to be around by the time she’s 15 (recommended breeding age) and the only viable male/s in the troop would be her brother/s. Furthermore, Leakey will be a formidable force without needing an adolescent daughter to back her up.

Future candidates for Sydney: Chiku and Kendi (Hamilton); Sembe and Safiri (Taronga); Lemba and Cekiri (Taronga); Zuri, Hope and Zola (Monarto).

 

[Zoofan15]

Auckland Zoo, many years ago, had two Janes and one became Little Jane, although the first Jane, last survivor of the tea party chimps who went on to outlive the younger Little Jane, ended up being known as Janie.

It is rather strange that Auckland Zoo named a second female chimpanzee ‘Jane’ when they already had a chimpanzee with that name. The chimpanzees were among the biggest animal stars at Auckland in the 1950’s and many visitors would have known them by name.

I know the chimpanzees were initially trained at Regents Park Zoo in London and then undertook a lengthy voyage by ship to Auckland. Press releases for the 1956 arrivals list their names, so either Auckland Zoo chose their names before they’d even reached dock; or more likely, they were named when they began their training in London.

A fear of undoing any training they received may have overrode the inconvenience of having two high profile animals with the same name. It’s also worth noting that the second cohort were intended to replace the first as performers. Once they were no longer performing, the first batch of chimpanzees undoubtedly dropped in star status and the name double up may have gone unnoticed.

Either way, the younger Jane wasn’t to live many years, dying at the age of five, just three years after her arrival:

Imported 1956:

0.1 Janie (1952-2013)
0.1 Minnie (1953-1964)
0.1 Josie (1954-2000)
1.0 Bobby (1955-2004)

Imported 1959:

1.0 Nick (1957-1961)
1.0 Charlie (1957-1971)
0.1 Siss (1957-1971)
0.1 Little Jane (1957-1962)

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

It is rather strange that Auckland Zoo named a second female chimpanzee ‘Jane’ when they already had a chimpanzee with that name. The chimpanzees were among the biggest animal stars at Auckland in the 1950’s and many visitors would have known them by name.

I know the chimpanzees were initially trained at Regents Park Zoo in London and then undertook a lengthy voyage by ship to Auckland. Press releases for the 1956 arrivals list their names, so either Auckland Zoo chose their names before they’d even reached dock; or more likely, they were named when they began their training in London.

A fear of undoing any training they received may have overrode the inconvenience of having two high profile animals with the same name. It’s also worth noting that the second cohort were intended to replace the first as performers. Once they were no longer performing, the first batch of chimpanzees undoubtedly dropped in star status and the name double up may have gone unnoticed.

Either way, the younger Jane wasn’t to live many years, dying at the age of five, just three years after her arrival:

Imported 1956:

0.1 Janie (1952-2013)
0.1 Minnie (1953-1964)
0.1 Josie (1954-2000)
1.0 Bobby (1955-2004)

Imported 1959:

1.0 Nick (1957-1961)
1.0 Charlie (1957-1971)
0.1 Siss (1957-1971)
0.1 Little Jane (1957-1962)

My guess is that the second group of chimps were already named before they arrived in Auckland, most likely back in London, and as you mentioned, they didn't want to undo any training the younger chimps had already received by changing the name. Perhaps the name also provided a link between the two groups of chimps - Janie was always quite a personality in her own right, so visitors might have liked the idea of still having a Jane in the group.

 

[Zoofan15]

Perhaps the name also provided a link between the two groups of chimps - Janie was always quite a personality in her own right, so visitors might have liked the idea of still having a Jane in the group.

That also ran through my mind. A few facilities around the world did this - Orcas named ‘Shamu’ at Sea World; and ‘Quintus’ the tiger at Taronga (who doubled as a mascot for a military regiment).

Jane arose as the leader of Auckland Zoo’s first cohort of tea party chimpanzees due to her age/size, with the Director noting in a press release that the natural social order of the species would assert itself as Bobby matured and she would then defer to him. As we know, this never happened and Jane remained the leader of the group for the duration of their lives.

Evidence suggests Minnie transferred over to the other group, which was reduced to a pair (Charlie and Siss) once Nick and Little Jane died. It’d be interesting to know if the redistribution was to give each cage a grouping of 1.2 (perhaps because four was considered too many for what I doubt was a big cage); or whether it was because while no breeding has occurred in the cage of the older cohort, Charlie had been observed mating Siss and they wanted him to breed with a second female (Minnie).

If Jane didn’t defer to Bobby, it’s unlikely she would have deferred to Charlie, who was barely an adolescent and noted to be a small chimpanzee. Minnie was presumably the middle ranking of the three females in her cohort (with Jane known to be the highest; and Josie being a year younger than Minnie), so removing her would have removed the female most likely to clash with Janie (if she wasn’t already).

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

That also ran through my mind. A few facilities around the world did this - Orcas named ‘Shamu’ at Sea World; and ‘Quintus’ the tiger at Taronga (who doubled as a mascot for a military regiment).

Jane arose as the leader of Auckland Zoo’s first cohort of tea party chimpanzees due to her age/size, with the Director noting in a press release that the natural social order of the species would assert itself as Bobby matured and she would then defer to him. As we know, this never happened and Jane remained the leader of the group for the duration of their lives.

Evidence suggests Minnie transferred over to the other group, which was reduced to a pair (Charlie and Siss) once Nick and Little Jane died. It’d be interesting to know if the redistribution was to give each cage a grouping of 1.2 (perhaps because four was considered too many for what I doubt was a big cage); or whether it was because while no breeding has occurred in the cage of the older cohort, Charlie had been observed mating Siss and they wanted him to breed with a second female (Minnie).

If Jane didn’t defer to Bobby, it’s unlikely she would have deferred to Charlie, who was barely an adolescent and noted to be a small chimpanzee. Minnie was presumably the middle ranking of the three females in her cohort (with Jane known to be the highest; and Josie being a year younger than Minnie), so removing her would have removed the female most likely to clash with Janie (if she wasn’t already).

It's a pity that Minnie died so young and never produced a surviving infant - it would have been amazing if the original group of Auckland tea party chimps could have contributed to the genetic lineage of chimpanzees in New Zealand.

Janie apparently never deferred to Mike, either; Mike's showing aggression to Janie and also to Bobby, as the only male in the tea party chimp group, was what led the integration of the two troops to fall through, according to staff I've spoken to, although, of course, Susie and Sally were successfully integrated with the breeding troop.