A palm tree playground has been built into the exhibit for the adventurous apes. Two pygmy chimp groups take up residence in the enclosure and are exhibited on alternate days. One group has one adult male, three adult females, and a male infant named Johari. The other group is comprised of a male with four young females. Eventually, keepers hope to integrate the groups together.
Pygmy chimps are rare in zoos, rare in the wild, and very little is known about the species.
This ape species was not even discovered by Western science until the 1930s. Significant field studies of the pygmy chimpanzee in its native Zaire rain forests didn't begin until the 1970s and '80s. Biologists estimate that fewer than 15,000 pygmy chimpanzees remain in the wild. Loss of habitat due to human population pressures is one problem for the bonobos. They are also occasionally hunted by natives for meat.