'A loss of one of our family members': BioPark chimp Zoe loses baby

Apr. 24—The ABQ BioPark community is mourning the loss of one of its own.

Zoe, a 15-year-old chimpanzee, gave birth to a baby that died shortly after its birth. Zoo manager Lynn Tupa told the Journal that it happened sometime between late Monday and early Tuesday.

Tupa said a veterinarian has been coming multiple times a day to make sure Zoe is OK as the BioPark awaits the results of a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

"It's important for us to know what happened," Tupa said.

Tupa said Zoe received top-notch prenatal care and was monitored throughout her healthy pregnancy.

"We were committed to a successful, healthy birth, and it was hard to see the (dead) infant," Tupa said. "They're a part of our family, so it was a loss of one of our family members."

She said while "we don't know we can necessarily say we see mourning in an animal," the rest of the chimp community has been a "little quieter."

According to BioPark, the vet staff is monitoring Zoe and the rest of the chimp troop to ensure they receive the support they need.

The primate keepers will keep an "extra eye" on them and make sure all of them are eating and behaving normally, Tupa said.

Tupa said the BioPark will continue to follow Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommendations for future pregnancies as it awaits the necropsy findings.

"We're always going to look at our birth protocols, just to make sure everything is covered," she said. "When the SSP asks us to try breeding again, we'll try and hope for success, and maybe the next baby will make it.

"They're listed as critically endangered, and every birth is important to this population."