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Tulsa Zoo Gets Baby Chimp

The entrace to Tulsa's Mohawk Park and Zoo
KWGS News Photo
The entrace to Tulsa's Mohawk Park and Zoo

The Tulsa Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a male chimpanzee. Jodi, a female chimpanzee at the zoo, gave birth to a baby shortly before 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23. A conservation success, this is the thirteenth chimpanzee born at the Tulsa Zoo since the zoo began exhibiting the species in 1950. The most recent chimpanzee birth at the Tulsa Zoo took place in 2007.

This birth was planned in conjunction with the Chimpanzee SSP, or the Species Survival Plan®, which manages species in Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions across the nation. Leading up to the birth, the Tulsa Zoo animal health and care staffs monitored Jodi during her 32-week gestation, even administering routine ultrasound exams.   

Jodi and the baby are doing well, and they currently reside on exhibit with other members of the chimpanzee troop at Chimpanzee Connection. The new addition will cling to Jodi for the first several months, and Jodi will gradually allow other members of the troop to care for the infant.

Chimpanzee troops have complex social environments, and they include chimpanzees of all ages. In addition to the newborn, the Tulsa Zoo is home to six other chimpanzees, including Morris, Jodi, Hope, Susie, Bernsen and Vindi.

Native to west and central Africa, chimpanzees are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List because of habitat loss.