Jambo, a 12-year-old female chimpanzee from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, is the newest member of Zoo Knoxville’s chimp troupe. 

Jambo moved to Knoxville on a “matchmaking” recommendation of the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan, which is a national collaborative effort of accredited zoos to save chimps from extinction.  

An intelligent and confident chimp, Jambo quickly made friends with the zoo’s seven other chimpanzees upon her arrival in June. 

Since Jambo has never had any offspring, the next step will be to hone her maternal skills with training before proceeding with plans for her to become a mom as part of standard pre-natal protocol. 

When her caretakers feel confident she’s ready for motherhood, it will be up to Jambo to decide which of the resident males-Jimbo, George, Ripley or Lu-catch her fancy. 

Chimpanzees are endangered and their wild populations continue to decline.  The major threats to wild chimpanzees are illegal poaching for bushmeat, habitat loss due to logging, mining and agriculture expansion and disease such as ebola and respiratory illnesses. 

Zoo Knoxville works with a network of zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to maintain a genetically healthy and stable population of chimps in human care.  Accredited zoos also advocate against the use of chimps in the entertainment industry and the pet trade.


Zoo Knoxville welcomes new chimpanzee "Jambo" to the troupe.

Learn more about Zoo Knoxville at www.zooknoxville.org.