Australasian Common Chimpanzee Population

[Zoofan15]

I don’t believe it has.
I would be interested to know what the current size of Hamilton’s exhibit is as they reduced its size when the perimeter was redone.
Going by the current nsw exhibiting primate standards exhibit formula to house 12 adult chimpanzees only requires 564m2. Not saying that these standards should be followed and an exhibit this small is okay but going by that rockhampton zoo certainly has capacity to expand their population.
I would say that the exhibit capacity that Hamilton and Monarto have would be their capacity preferences rather than the true numbers those exhibits could hold.

Hamilton Zoo:

I took these photos of Hamilton’s exhibit last year. The reduction in exhibit size wasn’t as great as I feared. If it was previously 3000m2, I’d estimate it’s now around 2400m2.

They could certainly accomodate a larger troop, but have no plans to expand upon the current troop size of six chimpanzee via imports. Husbandry guidelines recommend a minimum of three adult males and four adult females; but there’s been challenges in attaining this number and the current troop of six are a cohesive unit.

Once the adult males (aged 30 and 35) pass on, there will be an option to grow the troop if that’s the intention.

 

[Jambo]

Hamilton Zoo:

I took these photos of Hamilton’s exhibit last year. The reduction in exhibit size wasn’t as great as I feared. If it was previously 3000m2, I’d estimate it’s now around 2400m2.

They could certainly accomodate a larger troop, but have no plans to expand upon the current troop size of six chimpanzee via imports. Husbandry guidelines recommend a minimum of three adult males and four adult females; but there’s been challenges in attaining this number and the current troop of six are a cohesive unit.

Once the adult males (aged 30 and 35) pass on, there will be an option to grow the troop if that’s the intention.

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That's a fairly sized exhibit; and certainly looks to be of similar size to Taronga's (if not bigger). In saying that, Hamilton could definitely accommodate much more than the six chimps they currently have.

Hopefully they take the opportunity once Luka and Lucifer pass to import some new males and females into the group, of which, by then will likely include two older females and two younger adolescent females. A group of 12-15 should be the target imo. They certainly have potentially one of the biggest exhibits in the region (maybe behind only Monarto).

 

[Zoofan15]

That's a fairly sized exhibit; and certainly looks to be of similar size to Taronga's (if not bigger). In saying that, Hamilton could definitely accommodate much more than the six chimps they currently have.

Hopefully they take the opportunity once Luka and Lucifer pass to import some new males and females into the group, of which, by then will likely include two older females and two younger adolescent females. A group of 12-15 should be the target imo. They certainly have potentially one of the biggest exhibits in the region (maybe behind only Monarto).

It’s definitely a decent sized exhibit and in addition has the night house, which is two levels and has slides for separation of the troop into multiple groupings when required.

Following the failed introduction of Chima in 2015, I imagine the zoo are cautious about introducing new females while Luka is still alive and since Lucifer (five years older) will likely pass before or around the same time, it makes sense to start with a clean slate.

Though zoos seem to be observing the female dispersal pattern, it represents a unique opportunity to transfer in males and could take so many different forms:

Monarto could send their youngest males - including those born in the coming years to Galatea etc. and themselves import unrelated males to breed with their next generation of females. Gombe (1993) and Sandali (1996) will likely pass around the same time as Hamilton’s males - and only Happy (potentially sired by Tsotsi) would be potentially related to Sanda’s daughters - not a big deal when the troop would contain multiple males and females.

Depending on how old these chimps are at the time, Gandali could potentially be integrated with Enzi, Happy etc. at Hamilton to further diversify the troop genetics.

 

[Jambo]

Does anyone know what happened to the chimps sent to the Hyderabad Zoo back in '92? They all seem to have disappeared.

 

[Zoofan15]

Does anyone know what happened to the chimps sent to the Hyderabad Zoo back in '92? They all seem to have disappeared.

Taronga and Melbourne’s Hyderabad exports were as follows:

Taronga Zoo:

Exported 16/10/1992:

1.0 Danny (22/07/1974)
0.1 Sutu (28/12/1974)
1.0 Mervin (01/02/1982)
0.1 Cheena (15/08/1985)
0.1 Sumu (18/05/1991)

Melbourne Zoo:

Exported 15/10/1992:

0.1 June (15/09/1960)

————————————————

Unfortunately my records contain no mention of these chimpanzees post export, though through my own research I’ve been able to find out the fate of two of them:

Cheena (1985-2002):

Cheena was ransferred to the Prince of Wales Zoo in Lucknow, India in 1999 to form a pair with their male chimpanzee, Sunny.

Cheena died there on 02/02/2002 of a severe intestinal infection. The infection had been mistaken for pregnancy, as it caused extreme swelling of the stomach. She was 17 years old.

Sumu (1991-2011):

Sumu was renamed Mamantha and died at the Nehru Zoological Park (Hyderabad Zoo) on 23/09/2011. The cause of death was congestive heart failure associated with kidney failure. She was 20 years old.

Danny, Mervin, Sutu, June (fates unknown):

In September 2011 (following Sumu’s death), the Hyderabad Zoo housed 1.1 chimpanzees aged 36 and 16 respectively, so we can conclude Danny, Mervin, Sutu and June had died or been transferred elsewhere by that time.

The premature deaths of Cheena and Sumu are consistent with the fates of many of the orangutans we exported to Indian zoos around this time, so I don’t hold high hopes any of them survived for any length of time.

 

[marmolady]

That is extremely sad that is recently as the 90s apes have been exported to facilities incapable of providing proper care. Perhaps hopes were higher that these animals’ needs would be met, but the number of deaths of young apes is heartbreaking.

 

[Zoofan15]

That is extremely sad that is recently as the 90s apes have been exported to facilities incapable of providing proper care. Perhaps hopes were higher that these animals’ needs would be met, but the number of deaths of young apes is heartbreaking.

It’s a great shame. An earlier attempt to export a group of five chimpanzees to the US was abandoned, which represented a favourable alternative to sending them to Hyderabad imo. This was followed by a plan to send two males (presumably Danny and Mervin) to Melbourne to integrate with their young male, Ernie. This also fell through.

Due to a decrease in mortality and the success of the breeding programme, zoos were struggling to accomodate infants into adulthood. It appears the 1990’s were the start of contraception being applied on a wider scale (and the advent of artificial birth intervals). Until then, female chimpanzees were breeding every 3-4 years and there was a building surplus of reproductive aged chimps.

Clearly lessons have been learnt and going forward, infants are bred with the expectation of accomodating them into adulthood within the region; or rehousing at accredited zoos overseas - the intention of any ZAA breeding programme.

On hindsight, I’ll add the export of June (1990) and Cheena (1985) was particularly regrettable. June was the daughter of a now unrepresented founder, Teddy; while Cheena was the grandaughter of Bessie, who is now poorly represented.

 

[Jambo]

Recently found an interesting paper on 0.1 Faye who was born in 1978 to Jojo and Fifi. She died just three months after her birth.

I'll quote it below as the paper is unaccessible without pay:

Thirty-odd years ago, the vets at Taronga Zoo in Sydney rang our Hospital for help with a four-month-old chimpanzee, who was not showing the normal lively activity expected, and was too weak to ‘hang on’ to her mother as chimp infants do at that age. The mother was experienced and had not previously had abnormal babies. Coincidentally, she died only recently, no doubt a very great-great-grandmother. Why I was chosen to go, I’m not sure, but our neurologist was miffed, especially as his previous offer to help out with ataxic flamingos had been rejected. As the mother would never have allowed us near the infant, she was sedated and the infant then brought back to the research animal house at the hospital. The infant appeared weak and lethargic, but with tendon reflexes present and greater muscle tone than a human baby. She fed slowly and appeared quite pale, but we lacked a ‘normal’ for comparison. We could not make a clinical diagnosis, but took blood for multiple tests. The infant was then reunited with the mother, after the latter was again sedated. Our haematologist rang me with news of hypersegmented neutrophils and other features of severe hypothyroidism, confirmed with thyroid function tests. The name on the request form was Fay Chimp, but the pathologist took some convincing that the blood was not of human origin. This true story had a sad ending. The mother was so excited to have her infant returned that she accidentally killed her. However, we would not have been able to treat the infant without keeping her apart from her family. Adult chimps, even in zoos, need to be treated with great respect. Biting off a human hand offering thyroxine would be easy for them.

 

[Zoofan15]

Recently found an interesting paper on 0.1 Faye who was born in 1978 to Jojo and Fifi. She died just three months after her birth.

I'll quote it below as the paper is unaccessible without pay:

Thirty-odd years ago, the vets at Taronga Zoo in Sydney rang our Hospital for help with a four-month-old chimpanzee, who was not showing the normal lively activity expected, and was too weak to ‘hang on’ to her mother as chimp infants do at that age. The mother was experienced and had not previously had abnormal babies. Coincidentally, she died only recently, no doubt a very great-great-grandmother. Why I was chosen to go, I’m not sure, but our neurologist was miffed, especially as his previous offer to help out with ataxic flamingos had been rejected. As the mother would never have allowed us near the infant, she was sedated and the infant then brought back to the research animal house at the hospital. The infant appeared weak and lethargic, but with tendon reflexes present and greater muscle tone than a human baby. She fed slowly and appeared quite pale, but we lacked a ‘normal’ for comparison. We could not make a clinical diagnosis, but took blood for multiple tests. The infant was then reunited with the mother, after the latter was again sedated. Our haematologist rang me with news of hypersegmented neutrophils and other features of severe hypothyroidism, confirmed with thyroid function tests. The name on the request form was Fay Chimp, but the pathologist took some convincing that the blood was not of human origin. This true story had a sad ending. The mother was so excited to have her infant returned that she accidentally killed her. However, we would not have been able to treat the infant without keeping her apart from her family. Adult chimps, even in zoos, need to be treated with great respect. Biting off a human hand offering thyroxine would be easy for them.

Thanks for sharing. This link should also work:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2012.02564.x

The ending was sad, but as noted, the outcome would have been the same as there was no options for applying the medication to the infant while in her mother’s care.

Faye was born 06/04/1978 and died 06/07/1978.

Looking at records of Fifi’s 11 offspring, it’s interesting to note eight of her offspring either died at birth or as neonates. Only three survived to adulthood, which is a surprisingly low survival rate compared to the offspring of Susie, Biddy, Mary, Lulu and Spitter.

At least the assumption of Fifi dying a great great grandmother was correct! Today, she’s the second most represented founder in the region with 30 confirmed descendants and another possible two (pending paternity results).

 

[Jambo]

@Zoofan15 Would it be possible for you to provide an update on the hierarchy of Taronga's group; (both males and females) with all the recent changes and upheavals?

 

[Zoofan15]

@Zoofan15 Would it be possible for you to provide an update on the hierarchy of Taronga's group; (both males and females) with all the recent changes and upheavals?

Sure thing.

Male hierarchy:

Shikamoo and Sule remain the alphas of the troop. It appears Sule is the highest ranking (guarding females with swellings), but Shikamoo isn’t playing the beta role, so they’re more or less equal. Sule isn’t a large male, but is clever and ambitious; while Shikamoo is the muscle. They’re a popular leadership duo and will likely remain in power for many years given Sule is only 15 years old.

Furahi has mellowed and the females are less fearful of him. He appears to be the next highest ranking.

Samaki has lost a lot of respect/support. Only Ceres supports him when he displays. He outranks Shabani, with the two brothers still ahead of the adolescent males - but I’d expect this to change within the next couple of years; particularly with Fumo beginning to make inroads.

Female hierarchy:

Shiba remains the highest ranking female. She networks and has had a succession of infants. Fifi remained the alpha female even after the export of her sons, so it’s not hard to imagine Shiba maintaining this position long term.

Nobody challenges Kuma, but she makes little effort socially, so it’s difficult to place her in the hierarchy. Herself, Sacha and Naomi round out the second, third and fourth rankings (probably in that order). Whether Kuma produces an infant in the next year will surely influence things.

Lisa ranks behind Shiba, Kuma, Sacha and Naomi. Following the birth of Lemba, she’s back in favour but not yet in a position to overtake anyone above her.

Ceres is middle to low ranking. She can be a trouble maker and holds grudges. I wouldn’t expect her unborn infant to be a game changer as there’s too many roadblocks to a rise in status. Cebele has begun getting swellings.

Kamili is low ranking. She favours Kuma’s company due to a mutual dislike for Naomi. She causes conflict in the community amongst the males when she has swellings.

Shona remains the lowest ranking.

Sembe is floating in the hierarchy and remains attached to Shiba. Her closest friendship outside of her family is with Ceres. Naomi is focussed on her son and networking to increase her status, so she has little time for Sembe these days.

 

[Jambo]

Sure thing.

Male hierarchy:

Shikamoo and Sule remain the alphas of the troop. It appears Sule is the highest ranking (guarding females with swellings), but Shikamoo isn’t playing the beta role, so they’re more or less equal. Sule isn’t a large male, but is clever and ambitious; while Shikamoo is the muscle. They’re a popular leadership duo and will likely remain in power for many years given Sule is only 15 years old.

Furahi has mellowed and the females are less fearful of him. He appears to be the next highest ranking.

Samaki has lost a lot of respect/support. Only Ceres supports him when he displays. He outranks Shabani, with the two brothers still ahead of the adolescent males - but I’d expect this to change within the next couple of years; particularly with Fumo beginning to make inroads.

Female hierarchy:

Shiba remains the highest ranking female. She networks and has had a succession of infants. Fifi remained the alpha female even after the export of her sons, so it’s not hard to imagine Shiba maintaining this position long term.

Nobody challenges Kuma, but she makes little effort socially, so it’s difficult to place her in the hierarchy. Herself, Sacha and Naomi round out the second, third and fourth rankings (probably in that order). Whether Kuma produces an infant in the next year will surely influence things.

Lisa ranks behind Shiba, Kuma, Sacha and Naomi. Following the birth of Lemba, she’s back in favour but not yet in a position to overtake anyone above her.

Ceres is middle to low ranking. She can be a trouble maker and holds grudges. I wouldn’t expect her unborn infant to be a game changer as there’s too many roadblocks to a rise in status. Cebele has begun getting swellings.

Kamili is low ranking. She favours Kuma’s company due to a mutual dislike for Naomi. She causes conflict in the community amongst the males when she has swellings.

Shona remains the lowest ranking.

Sembe is floating in the hierarchy and remains attached to Shiba. Her closest friendship outside of her family is with Ceres. Naomi is focussed on her son and networking to increase her status, so she has little time for Sembe these days.

Interesting to hear Taronga have two alpha males! A very rare occurrence. Their personalities do compliment each other nicely. I wouldn't be surprised if Sule's the 'sole' alpha male going forward - he certainly seems to be the smartest and biggest whereas I've heard Shikamoo lacks the motivation to pursue the alpha role at times.

It's also intriguing to hear that Samaki's dropped a lot in ranking. It seems the females have lost a lot of confidence and respect in him due to his lack of incentive to take on the alp ha role following Lubutu's death. He's gone down a similar path to his older brother (Shabani); once a high ranking male who's since dropped status heavily in his late teenage years. I wonder if it's Shiba who's stopped supporting them which is leading to this massive drop?

Although Sudi does seem to be a confident young male I doubt he'd ever reach a high ranking role - but potentially could be a supporting male to Fumo who will certainly (in my opinion) be a very high ranking male within the next few years.

Shiba being the highest ranking female makes a lot of sense considering she has five offspring in the troop with her. I've been told she's the female - a lot of the other females status relies on networking with her which I've been told Naomi has been doing a lot. Naomi will surely rise even more in the coming years and might be alpha female one day with Shiba, Lisa and Sacha getting older in age.

I remember Kuma actually became alpha female for a while when Fumo was born, so I wouldn't be surprised if she takes that leap when she conceives again. She has the size and influence!

Lisa's drop in status can be attributed to the loss of Lubutu a few years ago. Even when he was alpha, she didn't quite reach the role of alpha female, probably again purely due to the lack of incentive to network (much like Sacha).

It's a shame to hear that Ceres isn't making much inroads unlike her younger sister, Naomi. When she first arrived I had hope for her as she formed a close bond with Lubutu, but it seems she hasn't attempted to further network since. What stops her from achieving a more higher ranking position? She did arrive at a much older age so that probably wouldn't have benefited her, alongside the fact she was targeted by the other females a lot earlier on.

It's also interesting to hear that Kamili and Kuma share a mutual dislike for Naomi. Probably as a result of Naomi's quick rise to status and popularity with the males. For a while it seemed like Shabani had a new girlfriend for a while which Kamili wouldn't have liked! Anyhow, it's good to hear that Kamili is still forging a role within the troop following her mother's death a few years ago. I think she would be a high ranking female if she just had the adequate support (as in offspring).

 

[Jambo]

The following video came up on Youtube and I thought it would be interesting to share. It's of Taronga's chimp troop and was taken late last year.

I'm new to identifying them (and any tips would be appreciated) but I'd taken some rough guesses here of notable individuals at the following timestamps:

0.15 - Naomi approaches Sule and Shikamoo who are babysitting Niambi
0.22 - Fumo Joins Cebeli at log, Ceres (could be Kuma) in the background
0.40 - Kamili sitting nearby
0.50 - Niambi can be seen with Sule, Shikamoo, Naomi
1.05 - Sule joins Fumo and Cebeli
1.41 - Liwali (or Sudi?) runs into shot
1.55 - Niambi climbs
2.12 - Safiri swinging joining one of her older brothers
2.27 - Naomi carrying Niambi

Please correct any if I'm wrong.

 

[Zoofan15]

Interesting to hear Taronga have two alpha males! A very rare occurrence. Their personalities do compliment each other nicely. I wouldn't be surprised if Sule's the 'sole' alpha male going forward - he certainly seems to be the smartest and biggest whereas I've heard Shikamoo lacks the motivation to pursue the alpha role at times.

It's also intriguing to hear that Samaki's dropped a lot in ranking. It seems the females have lost a lot of confidence and respect in him due to his lack of incentive to take on the alp ha role following Lubutu's death. He's gone down a similar path to his older brother (Shabani); once a high ranking male who's since dropped status heavily in his late teenage years. I wonder if it's Shiba who's stopped supporting them which is leading to this massive drop?

Although Sudi does seem to be a confident young male I doubt he'd ever reach a high ranking role - but potentially could be a supporting male to Fumo who will certainly (in my opinion) be a very high ranking male within the next few years.

Shiba being the highest ranking female makes a lot of sense considering she has five offspring in the troop with her. I've been told she's the female - a lot of the other females status relies on networking with her which I've been told Naomi has been doing a lot. Naomi will surely rise even more in the coming years and might be alpha female one day with Shiba, Lisa and Sacha getting older in age.

I remember Kuma actually became alpha female for a while when Fumo was born, so I wouldn't be surprised if she takes that leap when she conceives again. She has the size and influence!

Lisa's drop in status can be attributed to the loss of Lubutu a few years ago. Even when he was alpha, she didn't quite reach the role of alpha female, probably again purely due to the lack of incentive to network (much like Sacha).

It's a shame to hear that Ceres isn't making much inroads unlike her younger sister, Naomi. When she first arrived I had hope for her as she formed a close bond with Lubutu, but it seems she hasn't attempted to further network since. What stops her from achieving a more higher ranking position? She did arrive at a much older age so that probably wouldn't have benefited her, alongside the fact she was targeted by the other females a lot earlier on.

It's also interesting to hear that Kamili and Kuma share a mutual dislike for Naomi. Probably as a result of Naomi's quick rise to status and popularity with the males. For a while it seemed like Shabani had a new girlfriend for a while which Kamili wouldn't have liked! Anyhow, it's good to hear that Kamili is still forging a role within the troop following her mother's death a few years ago. I think she would be a high ranking female if she just had the adequate support (as in offspring).

Shikamoo and Sule’s leadership worked well as neither had the support to go it alone as initially, the community favoured Samaki as the alpha male - a role he reluctantly accepted. Sule played the role of right hand man to Samaki, which greatly upset Shikamoo.

It appears Sule sensed weakness in Samaki from early on as he undertook steps to undermine the confidence the community had in him - eventually leading to him and Shikamoo gaining the support they needed to overthrow him. Shikamoo has certainly become more ambitious in recent years. Shiba has always been highly supportive of all her offspring, but also savy enough to realise when all hope is lost. Supporting the rival of the alpha can be detrimental to a female’s status (like Spitter/Sacha/Sandali).

It’d difficult to see what male or males could overthrow them. Shabani and Samaki chances have been and gone; Furahi isn’t popular enough (even within a duo); Liwali lacks confidence.

Fumo is popular and would make an excellent alpha due to his personality - he disciplined Sudi during his troublemaking phase and reassures him when he’s upset about something. Potentially, I could see the two teaming up, but due to their age (5-6 years younger than Sule), I think Niambi will be the game changer. Possibly supporting Fumo or Sudi as right hand man.

Ceres and Naomi have taken very different paths. Naomi made an effort to network with Shiba’s family from early on - realising this would help her status. It wouldn’t surprise me to see her network with Sacha now her sons are high ranking. Ceres is less ambitious. She has a temper and holds grudges. She once attacked Shiba once (which led to multiple adults taking Shiba’s side) and has exploded at Fumo, which has drawn Kuma and Naomi into the conflict. She still supports Samaki, which does her no favours (this is basically perceived as troublemaking). For these reasons, I doubt she will ever become high ranking, but if Cebele remains in the troop to breed, they could long term establish themselves as a large, middle ranking family like Bessie and her daughter, Chiki.

Apparently Kamili has turned her attention to other males. Recently it’s Samaki, but Furahi has also been her favourite in recent months.

 

[Zoofan15]

The following video came up on Youtube and I thought it would be interesting to share. It's of Taronga's chimp troop and was taken late last year.

I'm new to identifying them (and any tips would be appreciated) but I'd taken some rough guesses here of notable individuals at the following timestamps:

0.15 - Naomi approaches Sule and Shikamoo who are babysitting Niambi
0.22 - Fumo Joins Cebeli at log, Ceres (could be Kuma) in the background
0.40 - Kamili sitting nearby
0.50 - Niambi can be seen with Sule, Shikamoo, Naomi
1.05 - Sule joins Fumo and Cebeli
1.41 - Liwali (or Sudi?) runs into shot
1.55 - Niambi climbs
2.12 - Safiri swinging joining one of her older brothers
2.27 - Naomi carrying Niambi

Please correct any if I'm wrong.

Thanks for sharing this video. I made my own assessment and then consulted with my friend (who’s ID skills are better than mine) to confirm those, which led to additional chimpanzees being identified and a few corrections made.

Chimpanzee ID’s are as follows:

0.04: Ceres and Niambi looking out from behind doorway/flaps
0.09: Shikamoo on the left; Samaki on the right
0.15: Sacha approaches Shikamoo and Samaki
0.22: Ceres and Cebele at the log; with Lisa in the background
0.35: Samaki and Naomi; with Shikamoo to the left
0.40: Shiba at feeding basket
0.50: Niambi emerges between Samaki and Naomi
1.05: Shikamoo joins Ceres and Cebele
1.31: Samaki, Naomi and Niambi
1.41: Cebele runs into shot
1.55: Niambi climbing
2.02: Shabani by wall
2.12: Safiri joins unidentifiable adult
2.27: Naomi carries Niambi
2.40: Ceres on rock next to Naomi and Niambi

I don’t blame you for confusing Cebele for one of the adolescent males, she’s huge! Ceres is a small female, so clearly Cebele takes after Samaki and his line - the Central chimpanzee genes!

Cebele started getting swellings a few months ago, which is early for a female. They typically start getting perineal swellings at around 6.5 years - with the previous youngest recorded being Ficha (1981) at 5 years and 9 months; and the eldest being Lisa (1979) at 7 years and 6 months.

 

[Jambo]

Thanks for sharing this video. I made my own assessment and then consulted with my friend (who’s ID skills are better than mine) to confirm those, which led to additional chimpanzees being identified and a few corrections made.

Chimpanzee ID’s are as follows:

0.04: Ceres and Niambi looking out from behind doorway/flaps
0.09: Shikamoo on the left; Samaki on the right
0.15: Sacha approaches Shikamoo and Samaki
0.22: Ceres and Cebele at the log; with Lisa in the background
0.35: Samaki and Naomi; with Shikamoo to the left
0.40: Shiba at feeding basket
0.50: Niambi emerges between Samaki and Naomi
1.05: Shikamoo joins Ceres and Cebele
1.31: Samaki, Naomi and Niambi
1.41: Cebele runs into shot
1.55: Niambi climbing
2.02: Shabani by wall
2.12: Safiri joins unidentifiable adult
2.27: Naomi carries Niambi
2.40: Ceres on rock next to Naomi and Niambi

I don’t blame you for confusing Cebele for one of the adolescent males, she’s huge! Ceres is a small female, so clearly Cebele takes after Samaki and his line - the Central chimpanzee genes!

Cebele started getting swellings a few months ago, which is early for a female. They typically start getting perineal swellings at around 6.5 years - with the previous youngest recorded being Ficha (1981) at 5 years and 9 months; and the eldest being Lisa (1979) at 7 years and 6 months.

Thank you!

I was surprised to see it was Shikamoo and Samaki (not Sule and Shikamoo as predicted). Shikamoo is a big boy, definitely see the maternal genetics in play there. When I last visited I found out Sule was almost bigger and I'd imagine by now he would be! Potentially the biggest male in the troop right now - maybe rivalled only by Shabani?

Ceres is tiny! I initially confused her for one of the young adolescent males due to her short stature. Her sister, Naomi looks to be a younger, smaller female too. She looks very youthful for a chimp imo.

I did initially think that was Lisa in the background (she does have those unique ears), but decided against it due to her size. Lisa's always been a small female (that seems to be a trait of the L line) but she definitely appears bigger there.

I'm also surprised to see Shiba by herself; she's always been with another chimp during my visits. She is a very social girl. She also seems to be much smaller there. Wonder if its simply age getting to her.

I also found another video (shot again late last year) which I'll link below. Won't go into identifying (as I'm sure there are more efficient ID'rs on here; it took me a while to do the 2 minute video above) but it does feature some interesting moments, including one where one of the adult males (Samaki?) is playing with young Safiri.

 

[Zoofan15]

Thank you!

I was surprised to see it was Shikamoo and Samaki (not Sule and Shikamoo as predicted). Shikamoo is a big boy, definitely see the maternal genetics in play there. When I last visited I found out Sule was almost bigger and I'd imagine by now he would be! Potentially the biggest male in the troop right now - maybe rivalled only by Shabani?

Ceres is tiny! I initially confused her for one of the young adolescent males due to her short stature. Her sister, Naomi looks to be a younger, smaller female too. She looks very youthful for a chimp imo.

I did initially think that was Lisa in the background (she does have those unique ears), but decided against it due to her size. Lisa's always been a small female (that seems to be a trait of the L line) but she definitely appears bigger there.

I'm also surprised to see Shiba by herself; she's always been with another chimp during my visits. She is a very social girl. She also seems to be much smaller there. Wonder if its simply age getting to her.

I also found another video (shot again late last year) which I'll link below. Won't go into identifying (as I'm sure there are more efficient ID'rs on here; it took me a while to do the 2 minute video above) but it does feature some interesting moments, including one where one of the adult males (Samaki?) is playing with young Safiri.

Happy to help.

Samaki is the heaviest male in the community and has been since he was 10 years old. The second heaviest is Shabani. Furahi, Shikamoo, Sule are all quite comparable - with Fumo also rivalling them in size.

Ceres and Naomi both have a small stature. Ceres has a slight build; whereas Naomi is heavier, but she’s still dwarfed by females like Shiba and Kuma. I imagine Niambi will be average sized like his father, Sule. With his genetics, I can’t see him growing to be a large male.

It might just be the angle re. Shiba. She’s certainly maintained her condition and remains an impressive size for a female. Food is on offer, so I imagine she’s preoccupied with eating at that moment - rather than socialising. Like humans at a shared lunch, everyone becomes more sociable once the food has run out!

It’ll be interesting to see how the hierarchy changes over the next decade or so. As you mentioned, the three eldest females (Lisa, Sacha and Shiba) will begin to take a less active role. Historically, some females like Fifi, Lulu and Bessie maintained their rankings; while others decreased due to political circumstances e.g. Spitter. She was the second highest ranking female in her prime, but suffered due to Lubutu’s conflict with Sandali in the 2000’s.

 

[Jambo]

It’ll be interesting to see how the hierarchy changes over the next decade or so. As you mentioned, the three eldest females (Lisa, Sacha and Shiba) will begin to take a less active role. Historically, some females like Fifi, Lulu and Bessie maintained their rankings; while others decreased due to political circumstances e.g. Spitter. She was the second highest ranking female in her prime, but suffered due to Lubutu’s conflict with Sandali in the 2000’s.

In a decades time it will really be interesting to see how the hierarchy ranks then. Naomi and Kuma will surely be the front runners for the alpha role then. If Sembe's given the opportunity to breed she could certainly have a chance as well. The next oldest females will still be young (Cebeli, Safiri, Lemba) so unless there's new imports I'm confident Naomi and Kuma will be the prime, dominant females by then.

With Shiba's large family I'd imagine she will indeed maintain a high ranking role going forward. Lisa and Sacha will probably drop solely due to the fact neither really put the effort into socialising. Sacha's always been a middle ranking female anyway even with her two sons taking on the role of alpha recently.

 

[Zoofan15]

In a decades time it will really be interesting to see how the hierarchy ranks then. Naomi and Kuma will surely be the front runners for the alpha role then. If Sembe's given the opportunity to breed she could certainly have a chance as well. The next oldest females will still be young (Cebeli, Safiri, Lemba) so unless there's new imports I'm confident Naomi and Kuma will be the prime, dominant females by then.

With Shiba's large family I'd imagine she will indeed maintain a high ranking role going forward. Lisa and Sacha will probably drop solely due to the fact neither really put the effort into socialising. Sacha's always been a middle ranking female anyway even with her two sons taking on the role of alpha recently.

Technically my reply is a post overlap; but it relates to hierarchy, so I’ll post it as a reply:

—————————————

Taronga’s Hierarchy

My favourite way to describe the hierarchy of Taronga’s community is to divide the rankings into three (High, Middle and Low):

Spoiler: Male Hierachy

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High Ranking:

1.0 Sule (2008)
1.0 Shikamoo (2003)

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Middle Ranking:

1.0 Furahi (2003)

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Low Ranking:

1.0 Samaki (2001)
1.0 Shabani (1994)

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Spoiler: Female Hierachy

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High Ranking:

0.1 Shiba (1981)
0.1 Kuma (1991)
0.1 Sacha (1980)
0.1 Naomi (2001)

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Middle Ranking:

0.1 Lisa (1979)
0.1 Ceres (1990)

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Low Ranking:

0.1 Kamili (1995)
0.1 Shona (1987)

————————

I can see the male hierarchy remained stable - potentially for up to a decade. The three adolescent males will soon be entering the hierarchy as low ranking males, with Fumo possibly attaining a middle ranking position within a few years.

I can see Ceres maintaining a middle ranking position for life. Socially, she hasn’t got much more going for her than Kamili or Shona; but by virtue of having a daughter, Cebele, who will likely remain in the community to breed alongside her mother, this will be of great assistance to her. Cebele will likely attain a rank similar to her mother’s.

Shona isn’t going anywhere and tbh, I doubt Kamili is either. I haven’t placed Sembe as she’s floating in the hierarchy, but she’s effectively in this box in the eyes of higher ranking females. Breeding would help her cause.

Will Lisa rise to become high ranking? Given her age and Liwali’s lack of influence in the community, I’d assume not.

Sacha status comes from being the mother of the alpha males. With their leadership secure, I imagine she’ll remain high ranking. Cara (1981) at Wellington hasn’t produced offspring since 2003 but is enjoying a similar role via her alpha male son.

Shiba will surely retain a high ranking position by virtue of her personality, social skills and support.

Naomi will definitely continue to rise. She has a juvenile son, who will rise in status and she’s a prime aged female with reproductive potential. She’ll be the most interesting one to watch imo.

Kuma’s a difficult one to predict. If she produces an infant in the next year, it’s easy to see her stabilise in her high ranking position which she otherwise does little to nurture through networking. Naomi is her biggest threat (contributing to the rivalry between them).

 

[Zoofan15]

Monarto Safari Park - no alpha male as of yet:

Today is world chimpanzee day and disappointingly, there have been no pregnancy announcements. Wellington and Monarto have females off contraception, so will probably be the next to welcome infants after Ceres at Taronga Zoo gives birth.

Monarto shared a brief update on their troop, where they noted it will take time for a new alpha to rise with new alliances to be formed and bonds to be cemented within the troop.

Irregardless of who the new alpha is; with the death of Tsotsi, this leaves Sandali and Enzi (father and son) as the only reproductively viable males in the troop. It therefore wouldn’t surprise me to see Zuri transfer out in a few years (possibly to Rockhampton).