That the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is characterized by its advanced intelligence, often compared to that of human beings, is very clear to the workers of the Sancti Spíritus Zoological Park Base Business Unit, who immerse themselves every day in the care of Pipito, the darling of the facility.
According to Taimí Mencía Venegas, doctor in Veterinary Medicine and director of the aforementioned Zoological Park, it is one of the oldest chimpanzees in Cuba in captivity, since next December it will turn 56 years old, something rare for this species. animal.
He explained that, according to his technical file, Pipito was born on December 5, 1969 in the National Zoo and, at just three years old, he was transferred to one of the rooms of the Sancti Spiritus facility, where he currently enjoys good health and state of health. spirit, although he had to overcome several pneumonias throughout his stay in Sancti Spíritus.
He commented that his diet is balanced, but the ape prefers cookies and ripe bananas, however, he also consumes root vegetables, vegetables and fruits; In addition to being one of the most attractive animals for visitors, given its tendency to socialize with everyone who approaches its cage.
According to Mencía Venegas, Pipito drinks water with honey directly from a bottle using his hands and uses the broom to clean the cage with the same ease as people: “This chimpanzee sometimes observes when the caretaker comes with the broom in his hand to clean his space and then he takes the instrument away from him because he prefers to do it himself, so he cleans his cage better than we do,” she said.
Although several studies indicate that chimpanzees prefer to live in groups called communities, Pipito has not tolerated animal company and attempts at mating by specialists at the provincial zoo have failed: “We tried once and Pipito killed the chimpanzee. Since then we have never tried again,” confessed Mencía Venegas.
In the wild, this animal species can live from 40 to 60 years, with the main concerns regarding its longevity being the appearance of infectious diseases, coughs or colds. Young specimens can suffer from diarrhea or peritonitis, which can cause death. However, the life expectancy of chimpanzees in captivity ranges from 32 to 40 years, hence the merit of Pipito.
One of the reported cases of the longest lifespan of this animal species in the world was Cobby, a chimpanzee who arrived at the San Francisco Zoo (United States) in the mid-1960s.
Due to his longevity, the ape had been housed since 2019 in a geriatric area where he received all kinds of care, although he died in 2021, at the age of 63.
Despite being one of the most abundant and widespread apes in Africa, the chimpanzee is classified as “endangered” according to the guidelines of the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and, for two decades, , there is a constant rate of decline in specimens.
 – Radio Sancti Spíritus){kind=link}