Mother, son chimps Kumi and Kibale join Gladys Porter Zoo

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

There’s a new mother and son duo joining the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo.

Zoo officials are inviting the public to give 45-year-old Kumi and her 34-year-old son Kibale a “warm South Texas welcome,” a news release stated Thursday.

Kumi and Kibale arrived from the Honolulu Zoo in September, and after completing the mandatory quarantine period, the Brownsville zoo said primate keepers began working on introducing the pair to the resident chimps at Gladys Porter.

“We are happy to report that Kumi and Kibale have been adjusting well to their new home and roommates,” the zoo’s curator of mammals Walter DuPree said in the release. “They’re learning where they fit in with their new group. Watching their relationships develop has been rewarding and fascinating.

“The team that works with the chimps were careful to monitor positive signs between our original group and the two new animals. This couldn’t have been accomplished without their knowledge and care.”

Prior to Kumi and Kibale’s arrival, the chimpanzee troop at the zoo consisted of four geriatric chimps.

The matriarch of the group is 52-year-old Rusty. The other members include Camille, JK and the male of the group Sancho — all in their 40s.

“We are thrilled to see the two new chimps being adopted by the others,” DuPree said. “It is a good day.”

The zoo noted that chimpanzees are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, Red List of Threatened Species. The biggest threats chimpanzees face in the wild are poaching, habitat loss and diseases.

1 of 9

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

Hailing from Honolulu Zoo, Kumi and Kibale recently joined the chimpanzee troop at Gladys Porter Zoo. (Courtesy: GPZ)

The post Mother, son chimps Kumi and Kibale join Gladys Porter Zoo appeared first on MyRGV.com.