Monarto Safari Park

Monarto Safari Park is a non-government conservation charity, every visit, adoption, donation and ticket helps to save species from extinction.

Animal Facts

  • Genus:

    Pan
  • Species:

    Pan troglodytes
  • Conservation
    Status:

    Endangered
  • Found In:

    Africa
  • Height:

    1.7m
  • Weight:

    Up to 70kg

Meet the curious chimps!

Monarto Safari Park is home to twelve chimpanzees! The group consists of four adult females, three adult males, an adolescent female, one juvenile male, two juvenile girls and a baby boy.

The females within the troop consist of the alpha female Zombi and Galatea, who were both born at Burgers Zoo in the Netherlands, arriving as a group to Monarto Safari Park in November 2010. The park’s newest female chimps, Hannah and Lani, arrived to Monarto Safari Park in March 2018. These curious girls made the journey from Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and were quick to make friends with other members within the troop. Each chimp has their own distinct personality and characteristics but all share a love for tasty treats, enrichment puzzles and basking in the sun grooming each other.

Zombi’s juvenile daughter, Zuri was born on 21 August 2012 and is the first Chimpanzee infant ever to be born at Monarto Safari Park! Although still a youngster, Zuri has developed a fantastic personality – she’s very confident and can often be seen tearing around the habitat initiating games. She’s very playful with the other chimps, visitors and zoo keepers. She enjoys games of chasey, tag, play fighting and being tickled – she has a huge smile and a great laugh! Her favourite treats are grapes and banana, but she also eats her greens! Zuri enjoys watching the other chimps using the enrichment items and will then try and copy their tool use – this skill takes time to master! She is a wonderful big sister to little brother Enzi, who was born on 19 October 2015.

In September 2019, Zombi welcomed her third child to the troop, a gorgeous little girl named Zola. Older siblings Zuri and Enzi have taken quite a liking to their younger sister, gently inspecting her, playing with her and watching their mum attend to her every need.

Enzi is a curious and adventurous little chimp who loves playing with his sisters and one of the newer addition to the troop, Hope. Hope was born to first-time mum Hannah in February 2019 and was named by world-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall. Hannah is a very playful mum and Hope is incredibly adventurous which keepers say makes for a very entertaining and interesting combination.

The latest addition to the troop – Happy – was born to Hannah on 21 December 2022. Happy, the first boy born to the troop in 7 years, was also named by Dr. Jane Goodall to link him to the wellbeing and happiness of Chimpanzees everywhere. Happy has been doted on by the whole troop, especially Hannah, sister Hope and troopmate Zola.

Sandali, Boyd and Gombe are the males in the Monarto Safari Park troop. The boys are more vocal and boisterous than their female counterparts, often displaying their male prowess to each other and the girls! The boys love their food, enjoy enrichment items and above all will spend hours grooming each other and taking turns heading the morning patrol around their habitat.

Wild Chimpanzees are found throughout central and western Africa including Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Tanzania.

Chimpanzees are our closest living relative sharing approximately 98.7% of our DNA. Chimpanzees can show a wide range of emotions including fear, screaming when scared, hugging for comfort, smiling or laughing when happy. Chimpanzees are highly intelligent and in some studies have even been taught to use sign language as a form of communication. Chimpanzees can make and use a wide range of tools, including rocks as hammers, sticks or grass stems as fishing devices for termites and ants and leaves as sponges or to build nests. Chimpanzee troops are led by an alpha male and each chimp within the troop forms part of a hierarchy.

Chimpanzees are classified as an endangered species with approximately 150,000 to 300,000 chimps remaining in the wild. Chimpanzees face many threats in the wild. The major threat is habitat loss due to logging, mining, palm oil plantations and population growth. Chimpanzees are also hunted for the bushmeat trade, where Chimpanzee meat and body parts can be sold on the black market for high profits.

Chimpanzees are also captured for the illegal wildlife trade, where young chimps are sold as pets for entertainment. Due to the genetic similarity between Chimpanzees and humans, Chimpanzees are highly susceptible to human disease. As human population swells disease such as Ebola, polio and even the human flu can have a devastating impact on entire Chimpanzee communities.

Zoos SA supports Chimpanzee conservation projects in Africa through raising awareness at keeper talks, Animal Experiences and through community campaigns. We also provide conservation support and funds to both the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the Jane Goodall Institute Tchimpounga Sanctuary in Africa.

 

Zoos SA is diverting mobile phones from landfill and raising much needed funding for primate conservation!

Recycling your old mobiles and accessories can have a big impact:

  • Mobile phones are made from numerous materials, including precious metals, by recycling them we reduce the need to mine and take less from the earth.
  • Electronic waste, including poisonous substances and plastics, should not be disposed of in landfill. Through recycling, we can recover over 95% of the materials used!
  • Electronic devices have a large manufacturing carbon footprint. But, if we manufacture products using recycled materials, we reduce the need for virgin materials and save the energy required to extract and process them.

When you donate your unused phones to Zoos SA as part of our They’re Calling on You campaign, the funds generated through recycling directly supports on-ground work with Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the Jane Goodall Institute Australia.

 

Hear more from Dr Jane Goodall in this video:

 

Click here to find out more.

Love chimps? Join the troop and ensure Chimpanzees stay a swing ahead of extinction! There are many ways you can help support these inquisitive creatures.

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About Zoos SA

Zoos SA is a not-for-profit conservation charity that exists to connect people with nature and save species from extinction.

Zoos SA acknowledges the Country on which we stand always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land and we pay our deepest respect and gratitude to Kaurna (Adelaide Zoo) and Ngarrindjeri (Monarto Safari Park) Elders, past, present and emerging.

We undertake critical conservation work throughout Australia and acknowledge the traditional custodians of these lands.

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