HONOLULU — The Honolulu Zoo announced Tuesday that it has sent its last two chimpanzees to a zoo in Texas while improvements are made to the chimpanzee exhibit. 

What You Need To Know

  • The zoo transported the mother and son pair — 49-year-old female, Kumi and 34-year-old male, Kibale — to their new home in Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas

  • Kumi and Kibale came to the Honolulu Zoo in 1994 from the St. Louis Zoo

  • The Honolulu Zoo chimpanzee habitat was originally built in the early 1990s and is slated for capital improvement projects that will involve renovating the viewing area and sleeping quarters

  • While the exhibit is under construction, zoo staff will work with the AZA and its network of accredited zoos for the return of primates to the Honolulu Zoo’s African Savanna

The zoo transported the mother and son pair — 49-year-old female, Kumi and 34-year-old male, Kibale — to their new home in Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas. Here, they join a group of older adult chimpanzees. 

Kumi and Kibale came to the Honolulu Zoo in 1994 from the St. Louis Zoo, along with three male chimpanzees: Roscoe; his son, Konakona; and Boo. Roscoe and Boo both died in 2021. 

They all lived in the chimpanzee habitat with two other male chimpanzees, Nalu and Puiwa, who were born at the Honolulu Zoo in 1995 and 1999, respectively. 

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan breeding program recently identified 30-year-old Konakona, 29-year-old Nalu, and 25-year-old Puiwa as genetically valuable and ready to start their own families. 

The zoo transported Puiwa to Los Angeles in February 2022, and Konakona and Nalu to Dallas in June 2022. 

“Over the years, our staff has done a stellar job taking care of all of our chimpanzees, and many of us were very fortunate to have the opportunity of a lifetime witnessing Nalu and Puiwa’s birth, helping to enrich their lives, and watching them grow and mature,” said Linda Santos, Honolulu Zoo Director, in a statement.

Santos described the chimpanzees as a favorite of visitors to the Honolulu Zoo, as they banged on walls, playfully wrestled, screamed and yelled, and spit water at each other. She said they all have their own unique personality and called it bittersweet to see them go. 

The Honolulu Zoo chimpanzee habitat was originally built in the early 1990s and is slated for capital improvement projects that will involve renovating the viewing area and sleeping quarters. 

While the exhibit is under construction, zoo staff will work with the AZA and its network of accredited zoos for the return of primates to the Honolulu Zoo’s African Savanna. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.

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