The Chattanooga Zoo will soon be home to seven chimpanzees, thanks to a donation from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta.
The new chimps will arrive Thursday and are replacing two others that left the zoo in May to live with a larger group of chimps at the Patawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Ind.
"We are excited to see how dynamic the exhibit will be with the larger group of chimpanzees," said Dardenelle Long, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Zoo, in a written statement.
The current chimp exhibit will undergo some necessary adjustments in order to accommodate the new chimps. Multiple viewing windows to the indoor and outdoor exhibits will allow guests to watch the animals from a variety of different angles, Long said in the statement.
The donation of the chimps was made possible by a collaboration between the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the zoo. The Chattanooga Zoo is one of 34 zoos in the nation that participate in the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan, the release states.
Stephen Ross, chairman of the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan, said in a written statement, "[We are] pleased to have worked with the Yerkes National Primate Research Center to find a new home for these seven chimpanzees at the Chattanooga Zoo. This collaborative effort and the expertise at Yerkes and the zoo are key components to ensuring the long-term health and well-being of this group of chimpanzees."
Yerkes National Primate Research Center is a research facility that was established in 1930, and the gift of these seven chimps is the second primate donation made by the organization, according to the release.
The Chattanooga Zoo plans to offer a members-only viewing to meet the animals on Thursday, from 5-7 p.m., and will publicly unveil the exhibit Saturday.