For immediate release
Contact: Gina Stiles, 904-757-4463, ext. 210

A Good Move for Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Chimps

Jacksonville, Florida –October 2007– After an extensive search that began late last year when staff at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens made the emotional--albeit very necessary--decision to relocate its three beloved chimpanzees to another zoo, a new home has been found. The chimps, Jackson, Cindy and Baby Face, will be leaving Jacksonville sometime during the first two weeks of November (depending on the weather) to go to the Oklahoma City Zoo & Botanical Garden (OCZ).  After the normal 30-day quarantine, they will be introduced to their new troop of six animals. 

The Oklahoma City Zoo was chosen because of its large community of chimps and exhibit that was built to compliment their behaviors and requirements.  OCZ also has a history of successfully introducing new members to its chimp community, and their ape supervisor took care of Jackson, Cindy and Baby Face as an ape keeper at the Jacksonville Zoo until 2004.

“This is probably as close to perfect as we could get for the transfer,” said Tracy Williams, supervisor of mammals at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.  “The last time Jen (Jennifer Davis, ape supervisor at OCZ) visited our Zoo, the chimps responded positively to her and obviously remembered her.  This history with her would only help to make the transfer easier for them--and us--knowing that they are in excellent hands,” Williams continued.

The move will allow the chimps to live and thrive in a large social community that closely approximates life in the wild.  The age of the three chimps makes it likely that one would eventually be left with no other chimps for companionship if they remained in Jacksonville.  By moving them to OCZ, none of these highly social animals will ever find themselves alone.  In addition, the move will give Jackson, who is genetically valuable to the captive population, an opportunity to reproduce.  He has not produced any offspring in his lifetime and would not have that opportunity since Cindy and Baby Face are both non-reproductive.

Relocating the chimps will enable the Jacksonville Zoo to concentrate on enhancing life for the bonobos, a highly endangered species that is strongly supported by the Zoo’s conservation efforts.  The vacated chimpanzee area will be modified to use for gorillas later this year, enhancing the area for this species and providing the opportunity to further develop the spaces for both gorillas and bonobos.  Plans are underway to expand the bonobo group to nine with an exchange of females and the addition of two new males for breeding.  There are less than 85 bonobos living in zoos across the nation.  The population worldwide has dwindled to less than 20,000 and dropping.  

 “Tough decisions like this have to be made when it’s in the best interest of our animals, and that is always our top priority,” said the Jacksonville Zoo’s Executive Director, Dennis Pate.  “We know many people in the Jacksonville area have come to love these animals as much as we do and wanted to give them an opportunity to say goodbye,” he continued.

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment.  Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,400 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 plant species. The Zoo is a non-profit organization and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Located on Jacksonville’s north side two miles off I-95, the Zoo is open year-round, 7 days a week, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information on the Zoo, log on to jacksonvillezoo.org.  

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