Young Chimpanzee Keeva Found Dead At Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo

TAMPA - Keeva, a young female chimpanzee, was found dead by Lowry Park Zoo staff Wednesday morning. The death appears to be from an attack by another member or members of her troop, zoo officials said.

“Our team is absolutely heartbroken,” said Dr. Larry Killmar, senior vice president and chief zoological officer. “Chimpanzees have an incredibly complex and dynamic social hierarchy. Keeva was spending the night with two adult chimpanzees, Twiggy and Nick, who have been showing normal interactions with her up to this point. We closely and carefully monitor their behavior, and it is perplexing that this happened.”

“Keeva had a very amenable relationship with the two adults Twiggy and Nick who never showed any type of aggression towards her until today,” said Killmar.

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Keeva came to Lowry Park from another zoo as an orphan in 2015 after her mother rejected her at birth. Zoo officials said she integrated into the zoo’s troop and was successfully fostered by an adult chimp named Abby, who has fostered other infants successfully, according to a zoo press release.

“Chimpanzees are a very volatile and physical species – engaging in conflict is a common part of chimp behavior. They occasionally fight and injure each other, sometimes resulting in the death of members of their own groups. Chimps are highly social and constantly negotiate their social standings, the hierarchy constantly changes,” said Judy McAuliffe, chimpanzee species survival plan program leader.

Zoo officials said decisions will made about how to manage the chimpanzee troop moving forward. The zoo is offering grief support to team members working to cope with the loss.

“The sad reality is that violence and mortality is not uncommon for chimpanzees, but nonetheless we are absolutely devastated to lose Keeva,” said Killmar. “We are now carefully evaluating the chimpanzee troop social dynamics and will bring in an outside review team of primate experts to help assess the situation. It is important to have a cohesive group for their social and emotional well-being, and we may be looking at some changes to this troop following this incident.”

Photo via Lowry Park Zoo