Julie the Chimp Flies Down to Rio Grande Zoo for a Visit

By Terry Axline

Albuquerque, NM - At approximately 5:30pm on Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, a special delivery package arrived in Albuquerque on a FedEx jet from the Knoxville Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee: a 23-year-old chimpanzee named Julie. ABQ BioPark’s Curator of Mammals Lynn Tupa stated, “Julie arrived safely and is in excellent health. She’ll be in quarantine at the zoo for the next 30 days -- standard procedure for new arrivals.” Lynn explained that the time spent in quarantine will allow the chimp to adjust to her new surroundings and get acquainted with the keeper staff.

The move to Albuquerque was a Species Survival Plan (SSP) social management recommendation. The Chimpanzee SSP oversees where chimps in accredited zoos in the U.S. live. The deciding factor regarding the transfer was that Julie did not get along with Jimbo, the dominant male chimpanzee at the Knoxville Zoo, which created problems in the chimp group as a whole. Staff at the Knoxville Zoo and ABQ BioPark hope that the move will give Julie a new start.

ABQ BioPark is an accessible facility and a division of the City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department. Contact ABQ BioPark at 311 locally, (505) 768-2000 (Relay NM or 711). Find more information at http://www.cabq.gov/biopark.

Same day combo admission to the BioPark’s Zoo, Aquarium and Botanic Garden is $12 for adults; $5 for seniors 65 and older and for children 3-12. New Mexico BioPark Society membership confers FREE general admission to all BioPark facilities and discounts to many special events, including summer concerts. Learn more about becoming a BioPark Society member at nmbioparksociety.org.

The ABQ BioPark is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) every five years. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.

To view Rio Grande Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-94-Rio_Grande_Zoo