People often ask where we get our animals – do we buy them, catch them in the wild, go to the Amazon.com of the zoo world? Virtually all the animals you see in zoos today were born in captivity. Many species including chimpanzees, are managed by programs called Species Survival Plans or SSPs. An SSP is a cooperative management program – this means all the accredited zoos that hold this species agree to work together for what is best for the population. So when it was time to start looking for chimpanzees for our new exhibit, my first call was to the Chimpanzee SSP.

Good luck and good timing were working in our favor – the SSP had recently learned of a group of chimpanzees available for placement. Last summer, Zoo Director Rick Barongi and I visited the facility and found the 10 animals that would become the chimpanzees of African Forest. Now, after nearly a year of planning, we are only weeks away from their arrival.

Last week I traveled to Chicago, one of my favorite cities,  to attend the Chimpanzee SSP meeting at the Lincoln Park Zoo. We spent 2 days finalizing not only the Houston Zoo’s plans, but making recommendations for every chimp in AZA accredited zoos – moving animals around if needed, making decisions about breeding, and providing advice on animal management and exhibit design. We also got updates on the latest veterinary treatments, research projects, and the status of chimpanzees in the wild. And we got to stop and see the Lincoln Park Zoo chimps have some fun fishing in their termite mound. As is typical for an SSP meeting, it was productive and exhausting!

Now its back to work here at the zoo, there’s lots to do – chimps arrive in less than a month!

artist's rendering of the chimpanzee exhibit

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