Julie Chimp Leaving

Julie, a 23-year-old member of Knoxville Zoo’s chimpanzee troupe, will be relocating to the
Rio Grande Zoo, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, early in 2010.
The move is a recommendation of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), the
program that manages the placement of chimpanzees in zoos accredited by
the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Julie will be joining two
males and six females in Albuquerque as part of a social management plan.
The move also reflects the normal social changes that would occur in
chimpanzee groups in the wild, where it is common for female chimps to
move to new social groups as they reach maturity.
A deciding factor in the decision to relocate Julie to the Rio Grande Zoo
was her disruptive relationship with the alpha male in Knoxville’s
chimpanzee troupe, Jimbo. Jimbo came to Knoxville in 2006 as part of an
SSP breeding recommendation; in 2008, he fathered the zoo’s one-year-old
chimp George, who lives at Knoxville Zoo with his mother Daisy. The zoo
also hopes he will father offspring with two other females, Debbie and
Jackie.
“Unfortunately, Julie never would accept the presence of Jimbo as the
alpha male, which disrupted the balance of the entire group,” says Lisa New, director of animal collections at
Knoxville Zoo. “Although we hate to see Julie go, it’s the right thing for her, the right thing for the rest of the
group, and what would be a natural occurrence in the wild.”
New expects Julie to adjust well to her new group; several of the chimps she will meet in Albuquerque are young,
which should suit Julie well. “Julie loves youngsters, and she’s smart and socially savvy,” says New. “We want
what’s best for Julie, and have every expectation that she will thrive in her new surroundings. But if it doesn’t
work out for any reason, she will always have a home here in Knoxville.”