Rockhampton Zoo's baby chimp named in a public vote

Published on 31 January 2022

Rockhampton Regional Council recently put the call out for the community to help name the newest member of the chimpanzee troop at The Rockhampton Zoo - and the responses flooded in.

Parks Sport and Public Spaces Councillor Cherie Rutherford said the response was overwhelming with hundreds of people taking to Facebook to vote on their favourite name.

“It is always wonderful to see how invested people are in our chimp family and this was no exception,” Cr Rutherford said.

“I am excited to announce that from over 2100 votes in total, the clear favourite, with 823 votes, and the name of our new baby chimp is Mzuri!

“Mzuri, pronounced Mu-zu-ri, is from the Swahili language, meaning beautiful – and it is a perfect fit for our gorgeous baby girl.

“Mzuri and her mum Leakey have been doing incredibly well since her arrival on 8 December.

“Leakey is a real natural and even more so now that she is a second time mum.

“It is also wonderful to watch Capri and Gandali with the baby – they certainly are doting older siblings.

“Our growing and thriving chimpanzee troop is a testament to the care and attention they receive from their keepers and all of the zoo staff.

“They also love the attention they get from all of the wonderful smiling faces of our visitors.

“The zoo is open every day between 10am and 4pm and entry is free, so make sure you get down to see Mzuri and the troop.”

Rockhampton Zoo is owned and operated by Rockhampton Regional Council.

The baby chimp voting results were as follows:

Nasara – 177

Mahindi – 572

Mzuri – 823

Imbali – 564