July 14 is World Chimpanzee Day. Although chimpanzees are close relatives of humans, they were unknown in most countries until Charles Darwin wrote about them in 1856. And only a century later, people began to recognize interesting facts from the life of these primates. The "discoverer" of chimpanzee mysteries was Dr. Jane Goodall, who began studying these apes in Gombe Stream National Park on July 14, 1960. The significant day was called "International Chimpanzee Day". In 2018, the name was changed to World Chimpanzee Day, but the main task remained the same: to raise people's awareness of the importance of these amazing animals in the wild, to preserve the environment and prevent the illegal trade of wild chimpanzees.
In total, in nature there are two species of chimpanzees - common chimpanzee and bonobo. And every species needs protection and defense. 100 years ago, Africa was inhabited by about two million of these primates, now their total number fluctuates around 350 thousand.
Our zoo keeps a group of chimpanzees that consists of 5 individuals. The oldest female named Ambi takes over the leadership of the group - she is 52 years old, the rest of the group are 22 years old female Aliti and her three children born in our zoo: Chilina (born in 2008), Ramina (born in 2012), Sherman (born in 2016). The family is friendly, almost everyone is involved in raising children. Everyone has their own character and temperament. You can see our animals in a spacious, well-equipped enclosure of the primates department.