You may have heard, last Saturday Monarto Safari Park’s twenty-year-old male chimpanzee, Sandali, broke his leg in three places after he landed heavily during play in the chimpanzee exhibit.
X-rays found he had broken his tibia in two places and his fibula in one place. 
On Sunday, a specialist team from Roseworthy Veterinary School visited Monarto Safari Park to repair his leg.
The procedure went well with screws and plates put in place to fix the bones back together.
He had a day of rest after his surgery, and we then proceeded with introductions back into the rest of the group on Tuesday. Initially, we paired him with Tsotsi, and the females and young, with all going really well. Our next steps were to introduce Gombe and Boyd separately, without the other.
Introducing adult male chimps can be very difficult, even when they know each other, actually, especially when they know each other!
Father and son duo Boyd and Gombe have a bond spanning over 20 years; and Tsotsi is an alpha like no other, looking to Sandali for support, Boyd for his wisdom and reassurance, and actually being a bit uncomfortable and wary of Gombe!
To say the least, after seven years together our four boys are well aware of each other’s weaknesses and strengths and we do not have the benefits we had when we first introduced this foursome (new territory, lots of change, no established alpha).
Also, we currently have females who are supporting the subordinate Sandali – I’m sure they’re not silly and realise he is the sire of Enzi and Zuri – which is frustrating for Tsotsi.
The combination of all four males when introduced proved unsustainable, and we have split the group temporarily into Tsotsi, Sandali, Zombi, Zuri, Enzi and Galatea in one group, and Boyd and Gombe in the other.
We hope to utilise some training and husbandry techniques over time and consult with other chimp lovers for ideas and advice to assist us in getting the group completely reintegrated and to give Sandali time to heal.
In the meantime, this beautiful boy will be receiving lots of special care and attention from his keepers who will be by his side for every step of the recovery process.
