(ANSA) – ROME, MAY 03 – Blue ribbon at the Ravenna Safari where the chimpanzee Tom was born. This is the first specimen belonging to the “verus” subspecies born in an Italian zoo. The news was announced on the occasion of the “Welcome Jane Goodall” meeting at the Bioparco in Rome, which saw the extraordinary participation of Jane Goodall, ethologist and anthropologist known throughout the world for her pioneering studies on chimpanzees in nature.
Tom’s birth celebrates the success of an ambitious project born in 2018 at the facility on the occasion of an international conference focused on the recovery, protection and conservation of chimpanzees, the “Pan Italia” a round table for Italian zoos keeping chimpanzees at in order to start a comparison and continuous sharing on modern management criteria for this species.
The Ravennate Park’s commitment to the conservation of chimpanzees has required important investments over the years both in terms of human and economic resources: the team entirely dedicated to the specimens present varies between 8 and 12 members including expert keepers, veterinarians, consultants, nutritionists and ethologists. An investment of €1,100,000 was necessary for the expansion and adaptation of internal departments and external exhibits and each year the total expenses dedicated to their management amount to €820,000. Furthermore, Safari Ravenna participates in important research projects with various Italian universities and has actively contributed to the in situ conservation of the species through financial donations to associations such as PASA (Pan African Sanctuary Alliance) which made it possible to save 4 chimpanzees kept in unsuitable conditions in Guinea-Bissau, and the Jane Goodall Institute Italia has always been committed to this purpose. (HANDLE).
