The Los Angeles Zoo is celebrating a significant milestone with the arrival of two female chimpanzee infants, born in August and September of 2025. These births mark the first chimpanzee infants at the zoo in more than eleven years. Both newborns are reported to be healthy and are bonding with their mothers, contributing to the social dynamics of the zoo's chimpanzee troop, which aims to mirror natural wild structures. This event is a vital part of the zoo's participation in the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP), a collaborative initiative by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) designed to enhance genetic diversity and ensure the long-term sustainability of chimpanzee populations. This effort is particularly crucial as chimpanzees are classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Chimpanzee SSP is instrumental in maintaining healthy, self-sustaining, and genetically diverse populations in human care, while also supporting in-situ conservation efforts. The western chimpanzee subspecies, in particular, faces critical threats in the wild, including habitat destruction, poaching, and disease, leading to an estimated population decline of 80% between 1990 and 2014. The AZA's SSP programs, including the one for chimpanzees, are designed to address these conservation challenges.
Visitors may soon have the opportunity to see the new infants, who are currently bonding with their mothers in the Chimp Penhouse, adjacent to their main exhibit. The zoo is working to introduce them into the main "Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains" exhibit in the coming weeks. This exhibit is designed to replicate the chimpanzees' natural environment, featuring enrichment elements like artificial termite mounds and a waterfall. Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has recognized this habitat as one of the finest in the country, offering visitors multiple vantage points to observe the animals while allowing the chimpanzees the choice to retreat from public view.