I really hope that without Koko present she’ll be able to rear an infant, but I’m not optimistic. It’s a shame that Taronga won’t remove infants to put into a surrogacy situation in an unsuccessful rearing scenario.
While Koko was indeed a hindrance in that she killed Kamili’s last infant; it’s important to remember that Kamili had abandoned the infant prior to this occurring, so she likely wouldn’t have taken to it at a later stage if Koko was out of the equation. Although Taronga Zoo didn’t attempt to introduce the last rejected infant to a surrogate; that’s not to say they wouldn’t this time given the genetic value of this infant. The question now is whether to remove Kamili from the community prior to the birth. Though there’s a risk of infanticide, leaving Kamili in the community gives the best chance for a surrogate to step in should the infant be abandoned.
Kamili gave birth to an infant earlier this month, but unfortunately it was discovered dead by the keepers in the morning. It’s unknown whether the infant was stillborn or died after the birth. Sadly, I don’t think Kamili will ever be successful in raising an infant; though I’m glad she was given one more chance - Kamili is of prime reproductive age, she’s had the experience of seeing several infants raised in recent years and Koko in now out the picture. If ever it was going to work, this was the time. If Kamili’s genes are so valuable, maybe the best course of action is to send her to a facility open to hand raising infants. Though given the lifelong social implications, perhaps it’s best to accept this is the end of the line - literally and figuratively.
That’s very sad to hear. I’m pretty sure zoos in the region would not be open to hand rearing in anything other than in the short term before handing over to a surrogate, because of said social implications. That was the plan with Boon back in 2015. I can’t imagine a queue forming to take Kamili; while her genes from her maternal side are strong, Snowy’s are very widespread in the region. I believe transfers in the region are being done in pairs wherever possible, for support, so it would likely be a case of Kamili-and-someone-else. I think it more likely that Kamili would not be bred, though I think that’s a sad social handicap in a group like Taronga where just about everyone else has close familial support.
Indeed they do. They are in seven family groups (listed in approximate order of hierarchy): 0.1 Kuma (1991) Snnowy x Ficha 1.0 Furahi (2003) Lubutu x Kuma 1.0 Fumo (2013) Shikamoo x Kuma 0.1 Shiba (1981) Jojo x Susie 1.0 Shabani (1994) Monte x Shiba 1.0 Samaki (2001) Lubutu x Shiba 0.1 Sembe (2008) Lubutu x Shiba 1.0 Sudi (2014) Shikamoo x Shiba 0.1 Safiri (2019) Unknown x Shiba 0.1 Lisa (1979) Jojo x Lulu 1.0 Liwali (2014) Samaki x Lisa 0.1 Spitter (1960) Sailor x Biddy 0.1 Sacha (1980) Jojo x Spitter 1.0 Shikamoo (2003) Lubutu x Sacha 1.0 Sule (2008) Lubutu x Sacha 0.1 Ceres (1990) Imported 2015 0.1 Naomi (2001) Imported 2015 0.1 Cebele (2017) Samaki x Ceres 0.1 Kamili (1995) Snowy x Koko 0.1 Shona (1987) Danny x Sutu
I am just wondering if it would be worth TZ building a second exhibit for their chimps to perhaps split them up
It'd be cool to see a second exhibit built, though I doubt the zoo would dedicate resources to doubling up on exhibits. If there was a need to split the troop, it'd probably come in the form of exports (I had wondered if Sydney Zoo was going to import from Taronga prior to their import from overseas). From what I understand, the troop at Taronga is relatively stable at the moment with a decent male to female ratio and only minor conflicts. Ceres and Naomi have a rivalry with Kuma; and a number of the females are wary of Furahi, but on the whole there are no real issues. No male has even arisen as the new alpha, almost a year on from Lubutu's death. Priority to breed will go to the new females, Ceres and Naomi (who are unrelated to all the males); though I would expect Kuma to also breed at least once more. It will be interesting to see if Sembe is retained for breeding; or exported.
It already has a netted (but smaller) enclosure next to the main moated enclosure, so they have the ability to seperate chimps if needed. If they did plan on splitting the troop up, I believe it will be done through exports (as they did with Monarto a couple of years ago). It would be cool to see another exhibit, but I would prefer if this was to happen, for it to be built at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.
It's all one exhibit, with a dividing partition closing off the netted area into a separate exhibit as required. It was used for an extended period of time from 2015 to 2017 when the new females from Europe were being introduced to the community. A small troop (containing the new females) was formed with other chimpanzees from the main troop joining and leaving this troop to represent the fission-fusion society chimpanzees live in. There's some photos of the exhibit here: Taronga Zoo Chimpanzee Enclosure - Jackson Teece
I have some info on the first chimpanzee at TZ, Casey. Let me know if you'd like some info on that. Below I've attached some pictures of the tea parties and other interesting interactions they had with the chimps and other primates at Taronga.
Spitter was born at Taronga on the 1st of July, 1960. She was actually the first chimp born at Taronga to be raised by her biological mother.
I'm interested in hearing other people's opinions on how good a mum Sembe would be. She's definitely good at taking care of the little ones but she leaves them when she becomes bored. I personally think that should she have a baby, the motherly instinct would kick in and she would be a fantastic mum!
You’re welcome @T J. And keep those photos coming! Though the third photo in Post #615 is of two orangutans. I’ve uploaded the full reproductive history of several of the founders - Fifi, Suzie, Biddy, Bessie, Mary, Lulu and Koko on pages seven and eight of this thread (if you’re interested). I also compiled some facts on all the alpha males of the community that have reigned over the years. This is on Post #596 of this thread.
Hi everyone! I know this isn't really related to the fantastic troop we have at Taronga today, but I thought some of you might find this interesting. Pictured below is Casey, a male chimp which through research with a TZ keeper seems to be the first trace of a chimp at TZ. Casey has an interesting history, and like Lulu, came from the US. **Spoiler Alert** - If you want to save the story for the article, read no further! - - - Article: "Stormy Old Casey" - The Sins of the Simians Part 2 - - - Here's a quick recap of Casey's life: In 1920, Casey was brought over from US, after being sold to the Taronga Zoological Park Trust. Soon after Casey arrived, he was given a fox terrier to keep him company. Unfortunately, in 1921, Casey's fox terrier died. After this, Casey lived solitary. In 1924, as per usual with growing chimps, Casey became increasingly agitated and he broke through the metal bars into the next enclosure which housed a Japanese Macaque. Casey attacked and killed the Macaque. 11 years after that, in 1934, Casey broke free and began to explore the zoo. I assume he went further than Chimbuka did. He was soon recaptured. Two years later, Casey passes away after suddenly becoming ill a few days prior, he was estimated to be around 27 years old and at that time, was though to be the oldest chimpanzee in captivity. Now that we have Spitter at aged 60, it really makes it obvious that the changes made were needed, hey? T J
