News Flash

World Chimpanzee Day, July 14th, celebrates our closest living relative, the Chimpanzee! Here at Sunset Zoo, we wanted to show off our wonderful troop of 5, while also talking about what makes them so special!

Chimpanzees are our closest genetic relative, sharing 98% of DNA with us! We not only see similarities physically, but we also see them socially, behaviorally, emotionally, and with how intelligent they are!

The Chimpanzees at Sunset Zoo all have their own unique personalities. Our Alpha Julian takes charge, settles and diffuses conflicts, and overall maintains the peace. He likes things on the easier side, often time waiting for someone to figure out enrichment or complete training so that he can use his status to reap the reward. Susie is our Elder, who has the respect of the entire troop due to her age. She loves seeing our guests, and especially their babies.  Hususa and Hazina, our half-sisters, are both Mediators, helping enforce and back up Julian when conflicts arise, though sometimes it is against one another. Both love a good grooming session but love to show off their intelligence and problem solve.  And our youngest Koto, acts his age of 13, causing a ruckus and chaos in the best way. He often gets his way and when he doesn’t will cry like he did as a baby until the others give in to his demands.

Chimpanzees in the wild are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and infectious disease; all of which have put them in an endangered status. Sunset Zoo is proud to be apart of Chimpanzee SAFE, a program that works with on-site conservation efforts and AZA accredited zoos to preserve wild Chimpanzees. Supporting Zoos like ours allow us and by proxy you to assist in conservation projects such as, Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project, Goualougo Triangle Ape Project, Ngogo Chimpanzee Project. Together we can work towards protecting and saving Chimpanzees from further harm!

Written by: Keeper Collin Brown