A new outdoor park is being built for the nine chimpanzees of Copenhagen Zoo.
The chimpanzees of Copenhagen Zoo have received a large donation from an unknown benefactor. The donation of 17 million kroner (2.3 million euros) is to be used to build a new outdoor playground for the zoo’s nine chimpanzees.
Zoo director Mads Frost Bertelsen says in the announcement that for many years the zoo has hoped to be able to build a space for its monkeys where they can go outside freely.
– I look forward to the day when the chimpanzees can rake dry leaves, bask in the sun and splash in the rain whenever they want, Frost Bertelsen said.
According to Frost Bertelsen, building a new shelter is a prerequisite for the zoo to be able to keep its chimpanzees in the future. The current facilities for the chimpanzees were built in 1983. Construction work is scheduled to begin soon, and the shelter is scheduled to be ready in the fall.
In the herd of nine chimpanzees at the Copenhagen Zoo, there are a couple of females, one cub, one alpha male, one beta male and a number of young males. According to the zoo, there are now more young males in the herd than there would be in a herd living in the wild, and the composition of the herd may be changed in the future.
The chimpanzee is the closest ape species to humans. Chimpanzees can live to be over 40 years old.
The video below is not from Copenhagen Zoo, but shows the reaction of a delighted chimpanzee after being released from captivity into the open air at a sanctuary in Florida.