Chester Zoo Chester Zoo News 2024

jayden said:
Did he have any relatives at the zoo if so which ?
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Boris the chimpanzee has the following offspring in Chester’s troop:

0.1 Sarah (1986) born to Halfpenny
1.0 Dylan (1987) born to Farthing
0.1 Alice (1991) born to Florin
0.1 ZeeZee (1994) born to Mandy

Through ZeeZee, he has 1.1 grandchildren:

0.1 Stevie (2018)
1.0 Jeff (2022)

Through Alice, he has 0.1 grandchildren:

0.1 Annie (2019)

Through Dylan, he has 0.1 grandchildren:

0.1 Chrissie (1996) born to Florin
0.1 Patti (1997) born to Kan Kan

@Jambo has kindly compiled a list of Chester’s chimpanzees in this thread too for reference:

Chimpanzees in Europe
 
Sand Cat said:
I have seen reports on Facebook that Boris the chimp has sadly passed away at the age of 58. :(Although not posted by the zoo, I am confident they are accurate. RIP to a true legend of Chester Zoo!
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Very sad news to hear. He's been such an icon of Chester since his arrival 55 years ago from New York; the zoo will never feel the same without him. I know a lot of regulars who always went out of their way to pay a visit to Boris (of whom they'd known since they were younger). So my thoughts are with all those who knew Boris well.

Boris has also left a great legacy, siring 22 offspring throughout his tenure at Chester, some of which are still at the zoo and his many many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was really the trailblazer for Chester's chimp group; certainly a life worth celebrating.

The zoo's news statement can be read below:
Celebrating the extraordinary life of Boris the chimpanzee | Chester Zoo
 
Quick visit this afternoon, Grasslands is coming on nicely, lots of the animal houses look close to being complete, large logs are around the tree islands on the main paddock to protect them, the lift structure is inplace for the education building (old restaurant) and some of the lodges are already nearly up aswell, starting with those around the giraffee paddock.
 
Sand Cat said:
I have seen reports on Facebook that Boris the chimp has sadly passed away at the age of 58. :(Although not posted by the zoo, I am confident they are accurate. RIP to a true legend of Chester Zoo!
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I am absolutely devastated. Such a wonderful animal who has left a huge legacy on the zoo. So unfortunate that I haven't seen him in 2 years. Rest in peace to a legend of the zoological world
:(

https://www-manchestereveningnews-c...ster-zoo-staff-heartbroken-following-29618669
 
Jambo said:
Very sad news to hear. He's been such an icon of Chester since his arrival 55 years ago from New York; the zoo will never feel the same without him. I know a lot of regulars who always went out of their way to pay a visit to Boris (of whom they'd known since they were younger). So my thoughts are with all those who knew Boris well.

Boris has also left a great legacy, siring 22 offspring throughout his tenure at Chester, some of which are still at the zoo and his many many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was really the trailblazer for Chester's chimp group; certainly a life worth celebrating.

The zoo's news statement can be read below:
Celebrating the extraordinary life of Boris the chimpanzee | Chester Zoo
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Wow 22 young that’s amazing any idea we’re they or there offspring are now. They had a lot of chimps and that’s just to Boris!
 
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I think I briefly saw Boris on my visit. The photo is probably too blurry for certain identification. I also snapped photos of his signage. I probably only saw him for a minute or so if I did but it's still such a shame to think he's no longer there. Always a shame to lose these senior, iconic animals.
 
You would only have seen him on a Monday afternoon, for some time Boris and two other males have been living separately from the rest of the troop only having access to the main exhibit on Monday afternoon.
 
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jayden said:
Wow 22 young that’s amazing any idea we’re they or there offspring are now. They had a lot of chimps and that’s just to Boris!
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@Zoofan15 mentioned Boris's known offspring and descendants that are still within the group. There are also potentially a few others within the current group, but their paternity is/was listed as 'unknown' in the studbook. The others have obviously been sent to other facilities, and a few died in infancy.
 
Jambo said:
@Zoofan15 mentioned Boris's known offspring and descendants that are still within the group. There are also potentially a few others within the current group, but their paternity is/was listed as 'unknown' in the studbook. The others have obviously been sent to other facilities, and a few died in infancy.
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I guess that the 'unknown' specimens have all been sorted out now. Chester's policy was to wait until a chimp was anaesthetised for a medical procedure before collecting a sample for DNA testing to determine paternity for the studbook.
 
Jambo said:
@Zoofan15 mentioned Boris's known offspring and descendants that are still within the group. There are also potentially a few others within the current group, but their paternity is/was listed as 'unknown' in the studbook. The others have obviously been sent to other facilities, and a few died in infancy.
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Which male chimps will now take over leadership of the breeding group?
Is it necessary to bring in another unrelated West African chimp verus male leadership?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Which male chimps will now take over leadership of the breeding group?
Is it necessary to bring in another unrelated West African chimp verus male leadership?
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He was replaced as the group leader a while ago and has recently been kept separate from the main group, along with 2 others.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Which male chimps will now take over leadership of the breeding group?
Is it necessary to bring in another unrelated West African chimp verus male leadership?
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Eric and Carlos were reportedly challenging Dylan for leadership of the troop.

There’s no possibility of bringing in an unrelated male all the time there’s adult males in the troop; and dependent offspring, which would be at high risk of infanticide.
 
Sand Cat said:
I have seen reports on Facebook that Boris the chimp has sadly passed away at the age of 58. :(Although not posted by the zoo, I am confident they are accurate. RIP to a true legend of Chester Zoo!
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It really is a shame that an ape this beloved had to leave us so soon; for Boris was one of the few animals at Chester that I really felt attached to. But through his descendants, may his legacy live on.
 
Austin the Sengi said:
It really is a shame that an ape this beloved had to leave us so soon; for Boris was one of the few animals at Chester that I really felt attached to. But through his descendants, may his legacy live on.
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Huh, so soon ... What perspective is that?

The chimp Boris was at Chester Zoo since August 1969 and reached a ripe old age at 54. A chimp in the wild would not likely .... (never) attain that old an accolade in the natural world.
 
From my perspective, it just felt that way. But I am aware that the passing wasn’t some freak accident, and that some may obviously not have the same opinion.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Huh, so soon ... What perspective is that?

The chimp Boris was at Chester Zoo since August 1969 and reached a ripe old age at 54. A chimp in the wild would not likely .... (never) attain that old an accolade in the natural world.
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Austin the Sengi said:
From my perspective, it just felt that way. But I am aware that the passing wasn’t some freak accident, and that some may obviously not have the same opinion.
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Austin the Sengi said:
From my perspective, it just felt that way. But I am aware that the passing wasn’t some freak accident, and that some may obviously not have the same opinion.
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That’s often the nature of chimpanzees (and many other wild animals) to mask underlying conditions. For males, status is everything; with constant challenges to their position in the hierarchy. They strive to avoid showing any sign of weakness, which makes it more challenging for keepers to diagnose any medical issues.

Given Boris’ age, which is exceptional for a male of his species, I would agree his death was not unexpected in that regard.
 
 
 
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