Red chimpanzee at Twycross

vogelcommando

vogelcommando

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Found a note about a red-coloured Chimpanzee which was kept in the 1970-ties - 1980-ties at Twycross Zoo. Does anybody know more about this female ( where did it come from, when did Twycross obtain it, when did it pass-away - or is it maybe even still alive ).
What was the name of this animal ?


In the note its said that she even had a young which was normal-coloured. Did she have more then this one young and is / are sibbling(s) still alive ?
And are there other red ( ginger ) haired Chimps known ?
 
vogelcommando said:
or is it maybe even still alive ).
What was the name of this animal ?


In the note its said that she even had a young which was normal-coloured. Did she have more then this one young and is / are sibbling(s) still alive ?
And are there other red ( ginger ) haired Chimps known ?
Click to expand...

Vogelcommando;

The afore-mentioned chimp is named 'Coco' and she is still alive at Twycross. The colour is a reddish brown when young, fading to a darker greyish brown as the animal gets older. Skin is pinky reddish instead of black.

Her first young was a normal(black)-coloured male and as the brown colour(usually termed 'chocolate') is recessive, he was later bred to his mother which produced a chocolate baby(also male). I can't remember if Coco has had more young or which colours but I think she has. Maybe someone else can confirm the details of that? The first chocolate one is called 'Jambo' and is also at Twycross- he is completely bald as he suffers from Alopecia, which may, or may not, be linked to his colour.

Colchester Zoo have a Chocolate chimp in their group too, it was produced more recently from two normal-coloured(black) related individuals which are themselves related to Twycross 'Coco'.

I believe 'Coco' was received from an expat living in Africa but don't have the details.
 
I should have added- I think Twycross have a total of 4(2.2.) chocolate chimps, Coco, Jambo, Mongo( another male) and another female. I am not sure of their exact relationships but all are obviously related to each other. With the single one at Colchester, that makes 5 in the two Zoos.
 
Chlidonias said:
there's a brown one at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok too.
Click to expand...

I was watching a BBC programme about 'Animal Love' the other day, there was footage of young Bonobos being handraised in Africa- one of them was a brownish colour- not as light-coloured as these Chocolate common chimps but not the normal glossy black.
 
Had a bit of search in the stud book, and put together this info. Makes me sad that so many of my favourite chimps are in-bred, it was such an irresponsible thing to do.

Coco is estimated to have been born in West Africa in 1965, she came to twycross in 1969.

Offspring (unless stated otherwise they are still at Twycross)

Bobby male 1974 moved to colchester in 1994 deceased (father Oscar who moved to Whipsnade and died in 1999)

Kip black male born 1976 - still living (father Oscar who moved to Whipsnade and died in 1999)

Charlotte black female born 1978 - still living (also fathered by Oscar)

Jambo chocolate male with alopecia born 1982 - still living (fathered by her son Bobby!)

Pippin black male now at Colchester born 1986 (fathered by a male called Bimbo who also lived at both London & Chester, and definitely fathered offspring at Chester - he's Heidi's dad).

Mongo chocolate male with alopecia born 1994 - still living (fathered by her son Jambo)

These are all her offspring I can find but all bar Mongo have bred as well.

Charlotte & Jambo were bred together and had chocolate chimps Mwekundu in 1993 (now deceased) and Genet in 1995. Plus a DNS in 1994

Jambo also fathered Peter with wild caught chimp Samantha.

Kip is father to the wonderful Flynn (1986) Mother is Wild caught Noddy.

Pippin is father to Colchester's chocolate chimp male Tumba (2004) His mum is Tekita who is also the offspring of Bobby. Bobby also fathered Kora and Tombe at Colchester as well.
 
mazfc said:
Pippin is father to Colchester's chocolate chimp male Tumba (2004) His mum is Tekita who is also the offspring of Bobby.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting these details. I had not realised 'Coco' had so many offspring.

It also explains how the Chocolate chimp(Tumba) at Colchester was produced. Pippin got the chocolate gene from his mother, Tekita got it from her father(who like Pippin got it from the same mother). Or an alternative way of saying it; Tumba's father(Pippin), and the maternal grandfather(Bobby) are/were brothers both carrying the gene.

I remember a chimp at Chester called 'Bimbo' in the 1960's, he was one of the group that also contained males 'Boden' and 'Prince'. Presumably the same male?
 
Coco didn't come from an-expat she actually came from the British Foreign Legion.

Pertinax said:
Vogelcommando;

The afore-mentioned chimp is named 'Coco' and she is still alive at Twycross. The colour is a reddish brown when young, fading to a darker greyish brown as the animal gets older. Skin is pinky reddish instead of black.

Her first young was a normal(black)-coloured male and as the brown colour(usually termed 'chocolate') is recessive, he was later bred to his mother which produced a chocolate baby(also male). I can't remember if Coco has had more young or which colours but I think she has. Maybe someone else can confirm the details of that? The first chocolate one is called 'Jambo' and is also at Twycross- he is completely bald as he suffers from Alopecia, which may, or may not, be linked to his colour.

Colchester Zoo have a Chocolate chimp in their group too, it was produced more recently from two normal-coloured(black) related individuals which are themselves related to Twycross 'Coco'.

I believe 'Coco' was received from an expat living in Africa but don't have the details.
Click to expand...
 
Pertinax said:
Thanks for posting these details. I had not realised 'Coco' had so many offspring.

It also explains how the Chocolate chimp(Tumba) at Colchester was produced. Pippin got the chocolate gene from his mother, Tekita got it from her father(who like Pippin got it from the same mother). Or an alternative way of saying it; Tumba's father(Pippin), and the maternal grandfather(Bobby) are/were brothers both carrying the gene.

I remember a chimp at Chester called 'Bimbo' in the 1960's, he was one of the group that also contained males 'Boden' and 'Prince'. Presumably the same male?
Click to expand...

Yes it seems like it's him. The poor lad got moved around a bit especially in his latter years. Wild caught in Ghana in 1954. In Chester from 1956 to 1981. London 1981 to 1983 then finally to Twycross.
 
Very intresting stuff but unbelieveble how much inbreeding has been taken place ! Does anybody know if this was done only with the thought to "produce" more red-haired chimps ?
 
Hi I can actually tell you no there was no inbreeding to try and get another chocolate chimp Coco was a tart.

QUOTE=vogelcommando;849532]Very intresting stuff but unbelieveble how much inbreeding has been taken place ! Does anybody know if this was done only with the thought to "produce" more red-haired chimps ?[/QUOTE]
 
Jane Doe said:
Hi I can actually tell you no there was no inbreeding to try and get another chocolate chimp Coco was a tart.

QUOTE=vogelcommando;849532]Very intresting stuff but unbelieveble how much inbreeding has been taken place ! Does anybody know if this was done only with the thought to "produce" more red-haired chimps ?
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]

Or not put on contraception
 
Jane Doe said:
Hi I can actually tell you no there was no inbreeding to try and get another chocolate chimp Coco was a tart.

That is certainly NOT true. Twycross had (20 years ago?) an information board explaining about their breeding programme for the rare and endangered chocolate chimp. Without any sense of shame they explained how they had paired up related animals to produce a specimen of this rare colour morph (I think they even called it a species).
Click to expand...
 
Jane Doe said:
Hi I can actually tell you no there was no inbreeding to try and get another chocolate chimp Coco was a tart.
Click to expand...

Coco is a chimp, a wild animal, with a different idea of what she should and shouldn't do, and was also kept in an unnatural way cooped up at close quarters with her offspring and, presumably, not many other opportunities!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top