“Rare” baby chimpanzee born at Florida safari park

A baby chimpanzee was born at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida, in late January, the second chimp born at the facility in a little over a year, the park said.

Lion Country Safari said the new arrival, Lili, was born to mom Juniper at the park on January 28. Lili joins a family of two females and three males, including one-year-old Tonk, the park said.

This baby has been named Lili in honor of the Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project, a conservation initiative in Sierra Leone, the park said. The project works to empower local communities to become partners in the preservation of the population of wild chimpanzees, their website said. Chimpanzees are often hunted by humans and are frequently captured as illegal pets, the project said, with poachers killing on average, 10 adult chimpanzees for every infant captured.

Due to the status of chimpanzees in the wild and the low number of births in the population, this birth is especially rare and significant for the conservation of the species. Her birth contributes to the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP), a national collaboration to save them from extinction, the park said.  

The safari park said on February 17 that baby was making her debut on the island habitats in the preserve, and guests driving through the safari might be able to see her clinging to her mom.

Lili’s birth was especially rare and significant for the conservation of the species, due to the status of chimpanzees and the low number of births in the wild, the park said.