Australasian Common Chimpanzee Population

[ApeLadyNZ]

Though this is a sad turn of events, it’s encouraging to hear of Lani’s maternal instincts towards this infant. When she gave birth for the first time at Taronga Zoo in 2017, she rejected her infant. At the time, she was housed seperately from her mother (Taronga Zoo had split their troop to facilitate the introduction of the new females), which may have influenced the outcome.

Seven years later, Lani put into practice the maternal skills she’s learnt along the way, including observing Zombi and and Hannah with their offspring.

At 22 years old, Lani is still young and will have the opportunity to breed again. Hopefully things will go better for her next time; but in the meantime, my thoughts are with Monarto’s team.

It is encouraging to see that she has strong maternal instincts, and hopefully she will have the opportunity to breed again, and my thoughts are also with Monarto's team. They do a phenomenal job in caring for this troop!

 

[Jambo]

It is encouraging to see that she has strong maternal instincts, and hopefully she will have the opportunity to breed again, and my thoughts are also with Monarto's team. They do a phenomenal job in caring for this troop!

Monarto's seemingly had the worst luck chimp wise with the sad losses of Zwala, Soona, Boon and Galatea's previous infants.

My fingers are crossed Lani will be able to conceive again and will be third time lucky.

It's good to hear that Lani has the support of young Hope. Obviously she was a big part in Hope's upbringing.

 

[Zoofan15]

Monarto's seemingly had the worst luck chimp wise with the sad losses of Zwala, Soona, Boon and Galatea's previous infants.

My fingers are crossed Lani will be able to conceive again and will be third time lucky.

It's good to hear that Lani has the support of young Hope. Obviously she was a big part in Hope's upbringing.

Not to mention the loss of Tsotsi; who as alpha, has had a profound effect on the culture of the troop.

With only four adult females (and only two who have offspring), Monarto essentially remains a troop by definition; but with future success in breeding, it’d be great to see them establish a community of multiple families like the one seen at Taronga. The Monarto troop are close knit and have a healthy culture/social dynamic but the interactions between the chimpanzees in a community are endlessly enriching.

 

[Jambo]

With only four adult females (and only two who have offspring), Monarto essentially remains a troop by definition; but with future success in breeding, it’d be great to see them establish a community of multiple families like the one seen at Taronga. The Monarto troop are close knit and have a healthy culture/social dynamic but the interactions between the chimpanzees in a community are endlessly enriching.

It's very intriguing to see Monarto's troop effectively functioning as a sole family group (at least with the girls) compared to Taronga who all live in their own family units.

Monarto's been fortunate to have a group of females who aren't really dominant and therefore they don't tend to get into the disagreements Taronga's females do often.

 

[Zoofan15]

It's very intriguing to see Monarto's troop effectively functioning as a sole family group (at least with the girls) compared to Taronga who all live in their own family units.

Monarto's been fortunate to have a group of females who aren't really dominant and therefore they don't tend to get into the disagreements Taronga's females do often.

I would say Monarto has had a lot of advantages in having a troop comprised solely of mother raised chimps. Taronga was founded by a combination of mother raised, peer raised and hand raised chimpanzees, so of which were socially deficient. This undoubtedly led to conflicts, some of which wouldn’t have occurred in socially normal chimps. Koko was particularly detrimental to their culture; but Mary was another example of an instigator of conflicts.

 

[Swanson02]

It's very intriguing to see Monarto's troop effectively functioning as a sole family group (at least with the girls) compared to Taronga who all live in their own family units.

Monarto's been fortunate to have a group of females who aren't really dominant and therefore they don't tend to get into the disagreements Taronga's females do often.

I agree one thing I have noticed when visiting Monarto compared to other zoos that I have visited with Chimps (Singapore 2014, Taronga 2016, Rockhampton 2018) is how little infighting Monarto has, rarely have I seen a major fight break out. They are also quite a quiet troop, very bonoboesque

 

[Zoofan15]

I agree one thing I have noticed when visiting Monarto compared to other zoos that I have visited with Chimps (Singapore 2014, Taronga 2016, Rockhampton 2018) is how little infighting Monarto has, rarely have I seen a major fight break out. They are also quite a quiet troop, very bonoboesque

Bonoboeque shall be word of the word of the week.

I have heard that Zombi (1993) is very much an influence on this culture. She’s a large female, but by no means a fiery one like Kuma or Naomi at Taronga. She calms tensions between the males and has the respect of the females. I understand Tsotsi was very much a firm but fair alpha, never abusing his power; so between them, Zombi and Tsotsi steered the group in a good direction.

The fact the troop contains two relative newcomers (Hannah and Lani) would help, with incoming females usually keen to assimilate into the culture of the troop rather than disrupt it (of course there are exceptions).

 

[marmolady]

The Monarto chimps have plenty of big fights and the males have the scars to prove it— bonobo-esque they are not. They do, however, have a very stable core of the group in Zombi (and previously Tsotsi).

 

[Primatologist]

The records for both Charlie and Coco are so poor and so many different stories have been discussed through the years it’s hard to know what to believe. What I do know from speaking with the founder of Willowbank many years ago was that Coco was transferred from taronga to Dunedin botanical gardens and zoo to be paired with Charlie when he was rescued from the circus. There are no records stating cocos birth location so it is still unknown whether she was born at Taronga or wild born and transferred through Taronga. Both Charlie and coco had the same birth date written down 1/1/1969 as their birth dates were unknown.
They were transferred along with Samantha to Willowbank in 1985.
Milo was born 9/12/1988.
Coco died 31/7/1990
Milo died 25/9/1996 at 7y 9m old.
And then Samantha and Charlie transferred to Mogo at the end of 2010.

Samantha (1983-2024)

Some sad news from Rockhampton Zoo today. Samantha has passed away, aged 40. It’s been a difficult time for their troop, following the passing of Holly in December 2022.

Samantha had two offspring at Rockhampton Zoo (sadly non-surviving); but her most valuable role was that of a surrogate mother to Gandali, who was orphaned following Holly’s death. Samantha was a genetically valuable female and the last living descendant of her parents, Charlie and Coco.

From socials:

Spoiler

It is with much sadness that Rockhampton Regional Council announces the sudden and unexpected passing of Rockhampton Zoo’s female chimpanzee, Samantha, which occurred yesterday afternoon.

Samantha was seen to be enjoying her dinner and acting normally in the night house in the late afternoon and was found unresponsive 20 minutes later.

In 2020, a heart specialist identified that Samantha had early stage heart disease, and due to the suddenness of her passing, it is suspected that Samantha’s cause of death was from a heart attack.

An autopsy has been conducted and the cause of death will be known once these results are received.
In late 2022, Samantha took on the surrogate mother role for Gandali, who lost his mother, Holly. Now four years old, Gandali shares a very close bond with his father Alon who will no doubt provide guidance and comfort to Gandali.

After the passing of Samantha I have found out that I know one of the sons of the owners of the zoo of which Samantha was born. With this some info on the history of Charlie and Coco has come to light which I wanted to share with everyone. I still cannot confirm a birth location however I have been informed that Coco was transferred from the Brighton Zoo in Christchurch to Dunedin where she was paired with Charlie. Samantha was born at the farm/zoo and then the trio transferred to Willowbank in Christchurch when Samantha was 2.
A true loss to the Australasian population and an end of an era, Samantha may you nest in peace.

 

[Zoofan15]

After the passing of Samantha I have found out that I know one of the sons of the owners of the zoo of which Samantha was born. With this some info on the history of Charlie and Coco has come to light which I wanted to share with everyone. I still cannot confirm a birth location however I have been informed that Coco was transferred from the Brighton Zoo in Christchurch to Dunedin where she was paired with Charlie. Samantha was born at the farm/zoo and then the trio transferred to Willowbank in Christchurch when Samantha was 2.
A true loss to the Australasian population and an end of an era, Samantha may you nest in peace.

Thank you for that update.

I agree it’s difficult to determine whether Coco was transferred through Taronga or born there. One theory that does hold a lot of merit imo is that Coco was the first offspring of Lulu (1960-2014) at Taronga.

Lulu gave birth to Pongo at the age of nine years on 29/05/1969. This female was then sold at the age of three years to Ridgeways Circus (New Zealand) on 07/06/1972.

Lulu is a well represented founder, but either way, the death of Samantha represents the end of her father’s line.

 

[Jambo]

The Monarto chimps have plenty of big fights and the males have the scars to prove it— bonobo-esque they are not. They do, however, have a very stable core of the group in Zombi (and previously Tsotsi).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression this was mainly between the males though - and generally geared by Boyd and Gombe.

 

[Primatologist]

Thank you for that update.

I agree it’s difficult to determine whether Coco was transferred through Taronga or born there. One theory that does hold a lot of merit imo is that Coco was the first offspring of Lulu (1960-2014) at Taronga.

Lulu gave birth to Pongo at the age of nine years on 29/05/1969. This female was then sold at the age of three years to Ridgeways Circus (New Zealand) on 07/06/1972.

Lulu is a well represented founder, but either way, the death of Samantha represents the end of her father’s line.

Here is a photo of Coco and baby Samantha that was shared with me tonight.

 

[Jambo]

I agree it’s difficult to determine whether Coco was transferred through Taronga or born there. One theory that does hold a lot of merit imo is that Coco was the first offspring of Lulu (1960-2014) at Taronga.

Lulu gave birth to Pongo at the age of nine years on 29/05/1969. This female was then sold at the age of three years to Ridgeways Circus (New Zealand) on 07/06/1972.

That does make sense as a few older zoochatters have previously claimed Coco came from Taronga. This would therefore make sense as Pongo has seemingly disappeared off records, and a lot of circus animals were eventually moved into zoos at the time.

 

[Zoofan15]

Here is a photo of Coco and baby Samantha that was shared with me tonight.

Thanks for sharing this photo. Coco doesn’t bear a strong resemblance to her (potential) mother, Lulu; but looks a lot like Suzie at Taronga (a purebred Central chimpanzee), which is interesting. Suzie isn’t a candidate for being her dam if she was born 1969; but her looks could come from her assumed sire (Bobby), who I believe was a Central chimpanzee.

The minor masking on Samantha suggests Western heritage, but not full Western heritage. Whether this came from Lulu or Charlie, I don’t know.

 

[Jambo]

Thanks for sharing this photo. Coco doesn’t bear a strong resemblance to her mother, Lulu; but looks a lot like Suzie at Taronga (a purebred Central chimpanzee), which is interesting. Suzie isn’t a candidate for being her dam if she was born 1969; but her looks could come from her assumed sire (Bobby), who I believe was a Central chimpanzee.

The minor masking on Samantha suggests Western heritage, but not full Western heritage. Whether this came from Lulu or Charlie, I don’t know.

I was thinking the same thing - she looks a lot more like Shiba (Susie's daughter). If Coco is indeed 'Pongo', Lucy at Hamilton would be her full sister and the pair look nothing alike imo. I wonder if there's any other options re. Taronga?

 

[Zoofan15]

I was thinking the same thing - she looks a lot more like Shiba (Susie's daughter). If Coco is indeed 'Pongo', Lucy at Hamilton would be her full sister and the pair look nothing alike imo. I wonder if there's any other options re. Taronga?

There’s really only two possibilities across Taronga’s community (coincidentally both born to Susie):

Val was born 1967, so it would depend on how reliable we consider the reports of Coco being born 1969. She was sent to an Australian circus, but transfer between the two countries occurred frequently. Given the similarities between Susie and Coco, I wouldn’t rule it out.

0.1 Val
Born at Taronga Zoo 25/08/1967
Sent to Silver’s Circus and Zoo 26/03/1969
Sire: Bobby; Dam: Susie

Swappie was sent to the Great Moscow Circus with her sister Mary in 1968. Mary ended up in Coolongatta, where she produced Cassius; but no further records of Swappie were found. Due to the age discrepancy (1962 versus 1969), I’m confident in discounting Swappie. She may have died young.

0.1 Swappie
Born at Taronga Zoo 17/02/1962
Sent to Great Moscow Circus 31/05/1968
Sire: Bobby; Susie

 

[Zoofan15]

Hamilton Zoo - Breeding Update

I know a number of people are curious about whether Sanda will breed again, so I asked what the plan was on my visit last week.

I was told that the health check Sanda underwent recently (see video in link) was partly about ascertaining if she was healthy enough to have another baby. The health check revealed she’s fit and healthy and should be fine to have another infant. The zoo will still need to wait for a breeding recommendation before this can happen. Given the parameters (health of the mother; and Luka and Sanda’s genetic value, it’s my belief this is likely).

The long term plan is currently for two additional females to join the troop when Chiku/Kendi are old enough to transfer out.

Step behind the scenes at Hamilton Zoo for an exclusive look at our chimpanzee health checks in action. In this video watch our dedicated team... | By Hamilton ZooFacebook

 

[Jambo]

The long term plan is currently for two additional females to join the troop when Chiku/Kendi are old enough to transfer out.

It's good to hear Sanda will be able to have another infant. She is approaching her 39th birthday so should theoretically still be able to, assuming all goes well.

Once she is taken off contraception, I acknowledge it can take a while for her to return to usual cycling, but hopefully we can have an infant from her sometime next year.

 

[Zoofan15]

It's good to hear Sanda will be able to have another infant. She is approaching her 39th birthday so should theoretically still be able to, assuming all goes well.

Once she is taken off contraception, I acknowledge it can take a while for her to return to usual cycling, but hopefully we can have an infant from her sometime next year.

I’m optimistic of Sanda’s chances, especially given her history (three out of three live births) and a recent infant (December 2020).

The three eldest mothers at the birth of their last offspring were:

Lisa, who gave birth at 43 years, 9 months and 0 days in 2023 (survived).
Koko, who gave birth at 42 years, 8 months and 2 days in 2014 (died).
Fifi, who gave birth at 40 years, 11 months and 22 days in 1987 (died).

Sanda could well become the fourth eldest mother in the region.

 

[ApeLadyNZ]

I’m optimistic of Sanda’s chances, especially given her history (three out of three live births) and a recent infant (December 2020).

The three eldest mothers at the birth of their last offspring were:

Lisa, who gave birth at 43 years, 9 months and 0 days in 2023 (survived).
Koko, who gave birth at 42 years, 8 months and 2 days in 2014 (died).
Fifi, who gave birth at 40 years, 11 months and 22 days in 1987 (died).

Sanda could well become the fourth eldest mother in the region.

I had guessed as much, that because of Luka and Sanda's genetic value that Hamilton Zoo would get another breeding recommendation for her. Sad as Sanda's brother Tsotsi's passing was, I think that event might have had some influence on that decision.

I personally would like to see a third female born to Sanda, but should the infant prove to be a male, he could still prove very valuable, and it would be easier on troop dynamics for Luka to relinquish the alpha position to his son as he ages rather than risking bringing in an outsider male.

My guess is still that Chiku and Kendi will transfer out together, and that their likely destination is still Wellington, given that Wellington Zoo houses three young, genetically valuable and (presumably) unrelated males.