"Who's the Chimp Daddy?" Mystery Solved

We get the full story directly from Chimp Haven....in this, their official news release. "After nearly two months of gathering hair and cell samples for extensive DNA testing, the father of nine-week old baby Tracy has been identified from among seven possible candidates. The father is…Conan. Conan was one of three male chimpanzees that the Chimp Haven staff believed could have been the father because of their interest in the females. The other two strongly considered were Jimoh, a wild-born chimpanzee in his late 40’s, and Magnum, an up and coming 17-year-old trying to obtain the top spot in the group of 19. “This is really surprising to me,” said Dr. Linda Brent, President and Director of Chimp Haven. “I was really thinking it was Magnum because Tracy has a lot of his features. She has very long arms and legs and a cute face, so I could see a lot of Magnum in her.” Conan is a 21-year-old chimpanzee and has been retired at Chimp Haven for the past two years. He is a large and muscular chimpanzee and matches his namesake, according to Amy Fultz, behaviorist at the sanctuary. “He is very tough looking and big, and is also trying to establish himself as the top alpha male in the group,” she said. “But he is also very sweet and has shown a great deal of interest in the baby since she was born.” Tracy is believed to be Conan’s third child, having first fathered a set of twins a few years ago … and probably his last. So what is next for Conan? “He'll have another operation,” said Dr. Elysse Orchard, Attending Veterinarian and Chimp Haven’s Associate Director. “The celebration will be short lived and we’ll schedule him for another surgery in a few weeks. We are calling in a specialist who has had great success with vasectomies in chimpanzees.” Baby Tracy was born January 8th, 2007 to Teresa, a wild-born chimpanzee in her mid-to-late 40’s. Tracy is the eleventh baby for Teresa and the first in 13 years. The story took on international interest when it was learned that there were seven possible fathers and the fact that all the males have had vasectomies prior to arriving at Chimp Haven. Not wanting to add to the surplus numbers of chimpanzees born in captivity in research facilities, it was never intended for the sanctuary to have baby chimpanzees. Although this birth was unexpected, our new addition will be a very important part of the 19-member social group, said Dr. Brent. "Tracy is one of the few chimpanzees born into an environment where she will be able to learn natural behaviors such as foraging, climbing trees and nesting from a group of wild-born chimpanzees," she explained. "This is a rare opportunity for Teresa to teach Tracy the skills she learned from her own mother in Africa so long ago." People will also have the opportunity to watch Tracy grow and reach milestones in her life via the Chimp Haven website. “We hope to be able to post video and pictures of Tracy on a regular basis throughout her life,” said Rick DelaHaya, Chimp Haven spokesperson. “We have had so much interest in Tracy and how she is developing that we want to be able to share this with the world.” Chimp Haven expects 70 more research chimpanzees to retire to the sanctuary this year. Phase II construction, including the remaining outdoor enclosures, must be completed so that they can come home. Government funding provides partial support for the sanctuary operations, however no funding is provided for educational facilities or chimpanzees in need of rescue. Additional housing is needed at Chimp Haven for former pet and entertainment chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are wild animals and quickly become unmanageable. They are sometimes left in terrible conditions and in need of rescue. To watch Tracy grow up in her natural environment and learn how you can help additional chimpanzees retire to Chimp Haven, please visit www.chimpahven.org."