Knoxville — The keepers at Zoo Knoxville are once again trying some matchmaking, this time with the chimps!
Jambo, a 12-year-old female chimpanzee from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, joined the Zoo Knoxville chimp troupe in June, though the zoo has taken its time getting her acclimated and introducing her to her new family.
Jambo is getting along great with the other chimps, and its hoped that one of the zoo's male chimps--Jimbo, George, Ripley or Lu, will eventually catch her fancy.
She was brought here on a “matchmaking” recommendation of the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan, which is a national collaborative effort of accredited zoos to save chimps from extinction.
Jambo is described as an intelligent and confident chimp. She's never had any babies, so the zoo is working with her to hone her maternal skills with special training. Once her keepers feel she's ready, they'll encourage the match with the male chimp of her choice.
Chimpanzees are endangered and their wild populations continue to decline, so a network of zoos is working together to make sure the species doesn't go extinct.