Media Release 21 February 2007

Wellington Zoo chimpanzees move into their new home

Wellington Zoo's chimpanzees have moved into their newly built indoor home today announced Katja Geschke, Wellington Zoo's Manager of Life Sciences.

'We couldn't have hoped for a smoother move. All of the chimps moved in and started exploring their new home with that wonderful chimpanzee curiosity!'

'Jesse, the eldest of the female chimpanzees here at Wellington Zoo, was the first one in. She bolted past all the older male chimps, completely ignored the food that we had laid out and started to clamber the walls.'

The first chimpanzees arrived at Wellington Zoo for the 50th anniversary in 1956. They have lived in their current indoor home - though it has been added to and updated - since then. This is the first exhibit of Wellington Zoo's next 100 years.

Wellington Zoo currently has 12 chimpanzees, 6 female and 6 male. Chimpanzees are endangered in the wild and are closely related to humans. The chimps are part of an Australasian species management programme to ensure their genetic sustainability in our region.

ENDS

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