The Chattanooga Zoo Bids Farewell To Chimpanzee Group

Going Away Party Is Saturday

  • Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Chattanooga Zoo announces the departure of their current chimpanzee group. The Chattanooga Zoo currently houses two adult chimpanzees, Goliath and Randi, and on May 13, they will make a new home with a larger chimpanzee group at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, In.

The Chattanooga Zoo received Goliath and Randi the chimpanzees on May 1, 2001 as part of a larger group to be housed in the newly constructed Gombe Forest exhibit. Goliath was born on Sept. 9, 1976 and Randi on May 9, 1985. Both chimpanzees were housed at the Fort Worth Zoo in Fort Worth, Texas before making Chattanooga their home for the last 14 years. 

The Chattanooga Zoo is a longtime partner with the Species Survival Plan, a population management and conservation plan for multiple endangered species, including the chimpanzee. Through the Chimpanzee SSP, the Chattanooga Zoo coordinated with the Potawatomi Zoo to have Goliath and Randi join their Zoo’s current troop. Joining the larger social group will allow these animals to live more naturally and grow as intelligent individuals within their troop.

The Potawatomi Zoo is a 23 acre AZA accredited Zoological institution in the Michiana area, and is home to over 400 animals. 

Chimpanzees are highly social animals who share 98 percent of human DNA. They are found in different habitats throughout western and Central Africa. In the wild, they live in troops that can range from 15 to 120 individuals with very complex family structures. The chimpanzee is listed as endangered by the IUCN in its natural habitat, and it is estimated that there could be as few as 100,000 individuals remaining in the wild. The average life span of chimpanzees is 35 years old, and up to 60 years in captivity. 

“We are so excited for our chimpanzees to be introduced to a larger group and have the opportunity to exemplify their naturalistic social behaviors,” says Darde Long, Zoo CEO and president. “We have grown so close to these animals, and although we are happy for them to join a new troop, it is a bitter sweet goodbye for our staff to see them go.” 

The Chattanooga Zoo will host a Chimpanzee Going Away party Saturday. Guests will have the opportunity to bid farewell to Goliath and Randi, and wish them all the best. A goodbye card station will be available for guests to create their own farewell cards to hang on exhibit viewing areas. There will also be special chimpanzee enrichment and keeper chats throughout the day, education carts, and more. The Chimpanzee Going Away Party will be held from 10a .m.-3 p.m. and all activities will be free with regular Zoo admission. 

After May 13, the Chattanooga Zoo’s Chimpanzee exhibit will be empty, but not for long. The Chattanooga Zoo has been working with the Chimpanzee SSP and will be acquiring a new group of chimpanzees in the near future. More information on the new group’s arrival will come at a later date. 

For more information about the Chimpanzee Going Away Party, please visit www.chattzoo.org or call 697-1322.

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