The chimpanzee Natalia decided last Saturday, after seven months of mourning, release the body of his deceased calf in February that she carried with her in the Bioparc of Valencia.
Those responsible for the park have pointed out that after this duel the chimpanzee Natalia maintains a “excellent” socialization with all members of the groupwho have supported her at all times and with the female Noelia and her 8-month-old calf Cala.
The mother, belonging to a group of six chimpanzeescomposed of a male, five females and two offspring, not counting the death of the offspring at two weeks of age, it is a very cohesive unit “that has shown its adaptation to different situations.”
Mourning period
From the park it stands out that the group «has excellently managed truly extraordinary moments such as the integration of Djibril, an adopted chimpanzee, with the affection and treatment even of the male, even if it was not his son.
The baby chimpanzee, one of two that was born at the beginning of February at Bioparc Valencia, He died 14 days after birth after having shown normal activity until the day before his death. The chimpanzee Natalia then began a long and striking period of mourning, constantly carrying the body of her baby.
High mortality
From Bioparc they declare that “although the data reveal high mortality in chimpanzee offspring of such a young age“This is a devastating fact.”
It is a species where social ties and group cohesion are fundamental, “so all members are affected by these sad events».
They need a period of mourning and little by little they accept reality and lossalthough the mother may still need time to even get rid of the inert body.
Documented behavior
From Bioparc they declare that “this behavior has been documented in groups of chimpanzees in their natural habitat” and that “it is decided not to intervene for the mother’s well-being and let him grieve for as long as necessary, favoring his innate behavior and that of the entire group.
The reality is that this process is not entirely unusual and had already been documented in chimpanzees both in wild state as captivea species that demonstrates a high degree of intelligence and social behavior.
Visitor empathy
This death, the second that the chimpanzee Natalia experienceshas been revealed through the empathetic behavior of the rest of the members, who accompanied the mother in her first days of “mourning.”
During these seven months, «the team of Bioparc specialists has been very aware of the behavior and well-being of Natalia and the group, observing that the integration and relationship remained completely normal», they say from the Valencian facilities.
Those responsible for the park report that “these events have been openly communicated to the people who They visited the park and the vast majority have empathized with the situation “and they have been grateful to know the information.”
🎥 The baby chimpanzees Cala (8 months) and Djibril (5 years) playing in the equatorial jungle of BIOPARC Valencia 😍 https://t.co/W5hb6Ay4BU #TikTok #BIOPARCExperiences
— BIOPARC Valencia (@Bioparc) September 29, 2024
Group support
Last Saturday, September 21, the chimpanzee Natalia concluded her duel and He abandoned the body of his deceased calf on the grasswhich could be recovered by the animal care team.
The Bioparc of Fuengirola and Valencia, with 10 animals, house the largest group of chimpanzees of the western subspecies (Pan troglodytes verus) and have a prominent role in the European program for their protection (EEP).
This program is governed by the scientific criteria of the highest specialists and coordinates breeding under human care with solely conservation purposes.
Like all chimpanzees, the subspecies Pan troglodytes verus It is classified as critically endangered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the highest institution that evaluates the state and loss of biodiversity and the degree of threat of extinction of species, which highlighted the necessary contribution of animal parks in the controlled breeding of these threatened species.
Conservation actions
From the park they explain that, at the same time, “it is absolutely essential to promote the conservation actions in the habitats of origin of these species.
In this sense, the BIOPARC Foundation collaborates in preservation projects on site regarding the chimpanzee preservation in Africa financing part of the reforestation and Agroforestry sustainability program in the habitat of Pan troglodytes verus in Kédougou (Senegal) of the Jane Goodall Institute.
Image of the chimpanzee born in Bioparc (Photo: Bioparc)
Maximum animal welfare
BIOPARC reports that it works comprehensively to offer the best care, promote natural behavior and the instinctive development of the species. For this there are adequate facilities adapted to your needs that allow for optimal physical and mental development.
Likewise, special environmental enrichment actions and monitoring are carried out by specialists in primatology and animal care. The ultimate goal is guarantee the maximum well-being of both each individual and the group and, at the same time, support controlled breeding projects under scientific and expert guidelines.
Society awareness
Bioparc’s philosophy is aimed at raising awareness among the population by bringing wild nature closer, informing about situation of biodiversity loss and making known the characteristics of these threatened specieswhich can be observed with their natural behavior in enclosures that recreate their habitat of origin. All in order to motivate a change in society’s attitude towards the protection of nature.
At the same time, they develop European Endangered Species Programs (EEP) to manage the management of threatened speciesvulnerable animals housed in EAZA member zoos.
The ultimate goal is ensure the survival of these species through controlled breeding to have a “reserve” if necessary and avoid its definitive extinction.
Demographic and genetic analyzes
Each EEP is dedicated to a species and has a coordinating person whose tasks range from collecting information on the situation and status of all individuals of the species for which they are responsible, to prepare a registry that includes demographic analysisgenetics on which the production of a management plan for the species is based.
Every year a series of recommendations are made about which animals should be raised and which should be transferred to other parks, all with the aim of maintain healthy and genetically viable populationswhich prevent related individuals from reproducing, which can lead to inbreeding processes.
