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Zoo Miami recently celebrated milestone birthdays for two iconic chimpanzees who have called the zoo home since the early 1980s.
Samantha arrived at Zoo Miami (then known as Miami Metrozoo) in November 1981 from a private individual. Bubbles followed shortly thereafter in March 1982, as part of an agreement with the Louisville Zoo,
Bubbles and Samantha are among only a handful of animals at Zoo Miami that were born in the wild, most of whom are rescues that could not be returned to their natural habitat.
While their exact birthdates are unknown, reliable estimates based on available information place Bubbles’ birth between January and February 1963, and Samantha’s between January and February 1969.
At 63 years old, Bubbles is the oldest chimpanzee under human care listed in ZIMS (Zoological Information Management Software) in North America. At 56, Samantha is tied for third oldest, alongside several other individuals across the continent.
To mark this special occasion, zoo staff and volunteers prepared an array of festive treats for these “Grand Dames” to enjoy alongside their companions, two males named Niger and Hondo. The centerpiece was an impressive five-tier cake made from fruit, yogurt, and sweet-potato frosting. They also received baked cupcakes made with fruits and vegetables, topped with yogurt frosting, as well as enrichment boxes filled with raisins and nuts, much to their delight.
Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing more than 98 percent of our DNA.
Native to isolated forests in eastern and central Africa, they are highly social animals renowned for their intelligence, tool use, and complex communication, which includes a wide range of vocalizations, facial expressions, and gestures.
Although their diet consists primarily of fruits and vegetation, chimpanzees are omnivores and will also consume insects and small animals, including other primates that they hunt cooperatively.
Chimpanzees are currently listed as endangered, with habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade representing their greatest threats. Zoo Miami is a member of the Chimpanzee SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program focusing the collective expertise within AZA-accredited zoos to leverage their massive audiences to help save species.
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