I was hoping for an 'S' name, but his name is probably an even better tribute to her so I like it a lot. I found it interesting as well that Gombe was so attentive to the infant- I wasn't aware he was so young when his mother died. Zombi's due date isn't certain, but it could be as early as the next week or so. Perhaps if Boon is older he will be better equipped to hold on of his own accord so Zombi can focus more on supporting the new baby? I asked about Zuri when I was at the zoo on Monday, apparently she was very distressed at first but has since calmed down a lot. I was there all afternoon and saw no tantrums- a little bit of pouting and running to Zombi for a hug at one point but that was all. While I was there Zuri was keeping herself busy and seemed quite happy. She spent a lot of time playing with Galatea (who is very close to both Zombi and Zuri) and Gombe.
its an interesting situation and one I have not come across before. I know of a couple of instances of pregnant Apes(primarily Gorillas) that have stolen babies from other females, but not a situation exactly like this one. I still think the main problem will be adequate nourishment for the younger/smaller baby, but the staff will be prepared for this obviously.
Gombe's mother died when she was in her 20s I believe, of cancer. His mother, Josie, was handraised, as was her sister, Jessie (still at Wellington Zoo). They were related to Boyd (Gombe's father) so I'm guessing that's one of the reasons Gombe was vasectomised at a young age. When Wellington Zoo were required to send two males to Monarto, Boyd was chosen as he was upset at being displaced as the alpha male by his younger brother, Marty, and Gombe was chosen (as opposed to one of the other adolescent males) as he had no immediate family that would suffer from his export. The other two adolescent males still had mothers in the troop. I've never had the privaledge to see a chimpanzee mother with twins so I'm not sure how they manage! The mothers at Taronga seem to endure a limited mobility for the first few months and are less active at the food throwovers. I'm sure the keepers, and good natured males of the troop will compensate for Zombi's lack of mobility. Interesting to hear about Zuri. I wasn't sure out of the four original females (Zombi, Soona, Zwala and Galatea), who was closest to who, but I've since read that Galatea was one of her favourite aunties. I often hear in the context of such a social species, how great it is for young females (like Zuri) to gain experience by watching mothers with offspring. Hopefully Zuri is old enough to benefit from such a unique and valuable experience as this one. Zombi is an excellent role model for Galatea and Zuri.
Thanks for the insight into Boyd and Gombe's being chosen to move, I'm always very interested in hearing background information about the chimpanzees.
Zombi has given birth to a healthy baby. Unfortunately Boon has had to be removed from her.. Statement from facebook: Monarto Zoo is celebrating the birth of a second Chimpanzee infant. Last night Zombi gave birth to a little male infant, the pair are doing well and the male seems be strong and healthy. Her adopted son, Boon, is currently being cared for by zoo keepers after the decision was made to retrieve him from Zombi as he was looking quite lethargic. It is thought the colostrum milk he was receiving from Zombi was not sustaining him well enough has he grew. Boon survived the night and is feeding well this morning. We're currently faced with a completely unique situation and staff cannot be sure what the eventual outcome will be. Our ultimate aim would be to reintroduce Boon back to Zombi once he is stable and gaining weight to be cared for alongside Zombi's new infant. The Chimpanzee Platform will remain closed to the public until further notice
Fingers crossed for baby Boon... may he thrive under the attentive care he will be getting from the amazing keepers at Momarto... and that Zombi has the wherewithall to take him back eventually to grow up as a chimp should... T.
No problem, and apologies, Gombe's mother was called Jodie, not Josie. She was born in 1977. Wellington Zoo have advised that during his time at the zoo, Gombe always showed great interest in infants, so it probably is of no surprise to them that he was the first chimpanzee at Monarto to step in and take care of Boon. I'm really hoping the reintroduction to Zombi goes well. Hopefully the primate keepers are taking Boon to meet the other chimpanzee through the mesh so he is still recognised as part of the troop upon reintroduction. Still no news on a name for Zombi's newborn. Would it be too much to hope for a Z name? I like how some zoos do this, such as Taronga and Melbourne.
Boon's being raised within the chimp house, so I would expect that there is visual contact, but I don't know to what extent. From the sound of the article in the newspaper, the reintroduction attempt will start in 1-2 weeks. It's quite likely that Zombi's infant will be named through a competition as Zuri was. I think it was a whole two months before Zuri was named! Her name was chosen with it being a Z name in mind, and I hope it will be the case this time as well. I feel it would be a good way to differentiate between Zombi's infant and her (hopefully!) adopted infant. I will admit to looking up appropriate Z names just in case there is a competition!
Two months! Wow. I thought Taronga took their time naming Frala's latest baby. A 'Z' name would be good. All I can think of for a boy is 'Zuberi,' Swahili for strong. Time to get researching...
A couple of names I've come across are 'Zende' meaning strong/firm, 'Zikomo' meaning thank you, and 'Zakwani' meaning thriving. I also like 'Zawadi' which means gift, but it's probably a bit too similar in meaning to Boon's name. I sure hope it won't be a full two months before there's a name to call the little one!
It seems like the older baby Boon's deteriorating condition decided the outcome( so far) of this very unusual situation. I'm guessing maybe the pregnant mother's' normal milk supply did not come in properly until she actually gave birth herself. At least now her own baby will get the full attention it needs in its early days. Interesting to see if she can take back Boon as well in due course though if she does, I think supplementary feeding will probably be required here.
I like Zakwani, it has a good meaning too. No doubt it would be shortened to Zak as he gets older. Zak attack!!!
My heart goes out to all the keepers and other staff involved with the Monarto chimp troop... this will be a huge blow to them. T.
Very, very sad. What a devastating loss so soon after losing Soona. It was remarkable that baby Boon was given the chance at life that he was thanks to his amazing chimpanzee family, but so sad that he couldn't pull through.
A sad outcome to a very unusual situation. I'm wondering if Boon's initial nourishment from his pregnant foster mother fell short of what he really needed and whether that played any factor in his death?
