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More Monarto Chimps


grizabella
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A new thread because the Enzi one was locked for some reason. :P

Some pictures of Enzi, now about two and a half, from yesterday.

 

40267308290_65f50f5c31_c.jpgEnzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

40267309520_f0523c4a43_c.jpgEnzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

40267299090_7a2c5d1826_c.jpgZombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

41355282904_d5163093b5_c.jpgZombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

40267300340_aa82003b3c_c.jpgZombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

41174895735_f8bdcb8b5a_c.jpgZombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42074734551_6ebabd3cde_c.jpgZombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

28202375028_7ceeaf8bdf_c.jpgEnzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

41355219484_decbcae0b9_c.jpgEnzi and Boyd by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

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  • 1 month later...
17 hours ago, Kirislin said:

What happened to the old mans ears?

The results of fights. He lost one the first time he lost his position as alpha male (at Wellington Zoo) and the other the second time (at Monarto). It's a rough like being a chimp; I am always blown away how resilient they are.

 

42731298581_1da81a9bc0_c.jpgHannah by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42013900044_cac28852da_c.jpgSandali by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

40921052400_27c84a1ffc_c.jpgTsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42682050532_c5175cb60e_c.jpgBoyd by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42682046792_ab803cc900_c.jpgGalatea by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42682047872_2b1356db53_c.jpgSandali and Gombe by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

40921037310_45fe3fb282_c.jpgLani by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

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3 hours ago, Dame Danny's Darling said:

Wasn’t it Enzi who had a growth on his lip?   

Yes, he had a strange spot. It's been kept an eye on and is much smaller now, like a little pimple. I'm relieved it wasn't anything to worry about in the end. You can just about see a little pimply spot in the photos at the top of the page, which is what's left of the wart/spot/growth. 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had a lovely day at the zoo today, the chimps were loving the sunshine and just enjoying life. 

42222607465_818990c403_c.jpgGalatea and Hannah by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

43076957032_10e8928cb4_c.jpgTsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42222608445_1ab9277715_c.jpgTsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

43127160691_677e6dbc6f_c.jpgGombe and Galatea, Hannah and Sandali by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42222614565_1f564d8ce2_c.jpgGalatea by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

Enzi is growing like a weed, and today he was stomping around and displaying like the big guys do!

42222597525_8566923b14_c.jpgEnzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42222593745_3efd06429c_c.jpgEnzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

Zuri is a big girl now, and kind of reminds me of a Great Dane puppy with her long limbs and huge feet. She is going to be an impressive chimp when she grows up, no doubt about it.

42222590185_bb82e8978a_c.jpgEnzi and Zuri by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

42222592125_29484f8533_c.jpgZombi and Zuri by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

43127162731_ac633d8af7_c.jpgZombi and Zuri by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

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There's been a lot going on with them recently, with two new females having joined the family in March. The introduction has been a great success, but everyone's been very busy socially while the new girls find their place in the group. Now two of the females (Galatea and Hannah) are not on contraception, and another (Lani) is on the pill but still showing visual signs of being receptive, so the boys are very much occupied in that regard.

 

Tsots isn't really that old, he's just prematurely grey. The lack of hair is more due to either over-grooming or hair-plucking. Over-grooming can be a cultural thing in some captive chimp groups, so something that Sandali likely brought with him from Taronga Zoo. Prior to coming to Monarto Zoo, Tsotsi was completely hairy, but his hair became patchier when he was introduced into a more natural social group (with three males from groups where over-grooming is rife). Mama Zombi stands out with her bald arms, which she plucked as an adolescent after the death of her mother, as a stress release. I've never seen her plucking in the eight years she's been here, and the keepers suspect it's simply never grown back. Zombi's kids have patterns of hair loss where she's over-groomed them; you can see where Zombi grooms Enzi on the side of his face while he nurses (Zuri had a similar hairstyle when she was young and nursing). I have noticed recently Zuri's chest has gotten quite bare, but I'm not sure what the origin of that is.

 

Here is Tsotsi when he lived at Adelaide Zoo (2007) with just his mother and sister. He had a very boring life, especially socially, but his hair was great. He was less than twenty here, but already very grey.

2455681763_a11ee43f18_z.jpg?zz=1Tsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

458482882_5f17beb552_z.jpgTsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

Edited by grizabella
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You are a wealth of knowledge Griz, thanks for that explanation.   Tsotsi looked so different in his other pic, although it was 11 years ago.  It's much better for him to be in a more stimulating environment at Monarto, like you said...but yeah, his hair was great back then.

 

I love Gallatea's face, you capture them so well. 

I know birds can pluck feathers from stress and boredom (captive birds) so I did wonder if the over grooming was stress related or it had just become a habit within the group.   Mama Zombi, she is quite bald, but still beautiful, as they all are. 

I'm not sure what the set up is for the chimps at Monarto, are you in a bus to photograph them, or are they closer to the main part?

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It can definitely be related to stress or boredom; I've known some self-pluckers who've picked up the behaviours due to poor living conditions and an inadequate social background, but it can (as shown by Tsotsi) be something linked more to social over-enthusiasm or cultural grooming patterns. Tsotsi's hair loss occurred very quickly after he was introduced to the other three males. 

Here he is in early 2010, about three months after meeting Boyd and Gombe.

4297796118_dd890c89c3_z.jpg"You looking at me?" by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

Zombi is absolutely gorgeous. She's got a beautiful personality, very gentle and steady. I do wonder what she'd look like with more hair!

41440086645_666b4fe048_z.jpgZombi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

The chimps aren't viewed from the bus; there's a viewing deck which looks over the outdoor enclosure as well as the indoor day room. It's nice because you can quite comfortably hang around there for hours and watch the animals. 

12418015_1284287294921545_9148759939579403287_n.jpg

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*jiggles with excitement * .. not long now .. I get to spend a bit of time with them on 4th August , @grizabella any chance of meeting you there? I really am looking forward to the day :love:  ( I have earplugs in case we get to do a second visit and there's a group or a talk happening ;) ) 

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On 7/4/2018 at 4:42 PM, Animal House said:

I love Gallatea's face

So do I ..Tho I am no good at ID'ing them without Griz's help  LOL 
I just adore this photo I got of her last year ..... She has such a sweet and wise face .... and we were looking at each other ..communicating ..they are so very special .Wish I could spend  more time around them ...  *sigh*

Image may contain: outdoor

Edited by persephone
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Galatea has long been a favourite of mine. There's something so soulful about her face, and I just love how brilliant she is with the little ones. She's a darl! That's such a lovely shot, Perse, looks like a special moment you shared.

42222602385_6982d6cffc_z.jpgGalatea by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

I was fortunate enough to visit Burgers' Zoo's renowned chimpanzee community late last year. Zombi, Galatea, and the late Zwala all came from Burgers, and Galatea's mum, dad and younger brother are still there. It was lovely to see a bit of Gali in their faces! <3 The photos are pretty poor as it was a dark, wintry Dutch day, and everyone was indoors, but sharing anyway because Galatea has some admirers.

 

Mum Gaby (who Galatea clearly gets her eyes from)

27139910579_d94cd80ed7_z.jpgGaby and Moni by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

Dad Fons (who is also the father of Zwala, who passed away in 2014)

38916313581_274f5c7506_z.jpgFons by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

and younger brother Ghineau 

27139903109_1bf47961e2_z.jpgGhineau by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

 

@persephone I should be able to come up- it'd be lovely to meet you.

2 hours ago, Dame Danny's Darling said:

 

Your stories about them and their backgrounds make them so much more than interesting photos.  Have you read Brazzaville Beach?

Thank you; it's very easy to get sucked into their little world. They are a fascinating bunch. I haven't read that, but looking it up, it sounds really interesting. I'll have to add that to my list.

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Griz... your insights into the Monarto troop bring back fond memories of being quizzed by the much missed myopixia about the ins and outs of the Taronga troop... both of you have/had an enthusiasm for all the individuals in each troop that is highly infectious...

 

I hope I'm not hijacking by posting this link, but myo's comments on all of her photos are extremely insightful... especially if you want to know more about Taronga's primates...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/55369298@N00/

 

T.

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