San Francisco

San Francisco's Aging Chimpanzees Need Better Home

Three chimpanzees have joined the ranks of those seeking affordable and better housing in San Francisco.

The chimps are called Cobby, Minnie and Maggie and live at the San Francisco Zoo. At 57, Cobby is among the oldest in captivity anywhere.

Zoo director Tanya Peterson tells the San Francisco Chronicle that the zoo's accrediting body is urging San Francisco to move the chimps to a different zoo that has more chimps.

But Peterson says she's worried the older chimp would have trouble adjusting to a new group of primates. For now, Peterson is trying to raise $10 million to give the chimps a whole new site at the 85-year-old San Francisco Zoo.

So far, she says, the elderly and middle-aged chimps are a hard sell with the zoo's donors.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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