Almost A Year - Time to Celebrate!

George recently helped his "Auntie" Julie celebrate her birthday. He thoroughly enjoyed the presents and trappings. Check out these fun pictures of him playing with the presents. We can't wait to see him enjoy his own birthday celebration this Saturday, July 18th. See the zoo website at http://www.knoxville-zoo.org/ for more information about his birthday celebration and schedule of events.

Reunited and it feels so good

Introducing six adult female chimpanzees does not happen quickly. This introduction began with the two alpha females, Debbie and Jackie, then adding other members of each group gradually over one week. Daisy and George were added last as a precaution. Up until now, Bo and Binti had never encountered an infant.

Shortly before Daisy and George were introduced to the group, Debbie was reunited with them both. This was done for Daisy in order to alleviate some of the stress before meeting the Cleveland girls for the first time.

In this video, you can see that George and his Aunt Debbie have a special bond. Even after a week of seperation, George recognized, greeted, and played with Debbie immediately.

Knoxville and Cleveland Unite

Currently, all six female chimpanzees and George are together. Once this group is stabilized, Jimbo and Lu will be added.

Introductions Begin

Animal introductions are usually a gradual process, especially with six female chimpanzees. Debbie and Jackie (both dominant females from their groups) were introduced first. They became instant companions evident by lots of hugging, mouth greetings, and genital inspection (much like how dogs greet one another).

In the following video, Debbie and Jackie had been together for a day and Julie was added to the duo. You can see how Jackie and Julie greet each other for the very first time. The girls bonded quickly by grooming and playing with each other.

Brrrrr, it's cold

George had his first popsicle in April. In the warmer months, many animals at the zoo recieve frozen treats.

Swingin' Good Time

Girl Power!

Almost a year to the day that the Cleveland girls arrived, we introduced all 6 girls + George into one group. Though they have visually seen each other over the past several months, this is the first time all of the Knoxville and Cleveland girls have been together. With the exception of a few
"getting to know you" scuffles all have been getting along fine.



Jackie, Debbie and Julie









Bo, Jackie, Debbie and Julie










George, Jackie and Daisy