Maryland Zoo will welcome older chimpanzee Twiggy, officials say

On December 3, 2025 the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore confirmed plans to receive Twiggy, an older female chimpanzee, from the San Francisco Zoo. The zoo said she will arrive in mid January and enter a 30 day quarantine before keepers begin staged introductions with the resident troop of 12 females and 4 males.

Twiggy will be reunited with animals she already knows, a factor zoo staff say should ease social integration. She will turn 40 at the end of December and has recently recovered from a hip dislocation. Staff have placed her on a physical therapy program to manage mobility and support long term health. Keepers also noted an allergy to mangoes and will adjust the troop diet accordingly to avoid exposure.

The transfer was facilitated by the zoo keepers and species survival committees, which coordinate moves to support population management and animal welfare. The quarantine period is intended to monitor health and protect the resident animals while veterinary and care teams finalize introduction plans.

For Baltimore residents the arrival has several practical implications. New or returning animals often raise visitor interest and may affect attendance, membership activity, school field trip demand, and program schedules at the zoo. Operationally Twiggys geriatric care will require additional staff time and veterinary oversight, as well as dietary planning to accommodate her allergy. Those adjustments may influence volunteer assignments, educational programming, and exhibit staffing during the first months after her arrival.

The transfer also highlights longer term trends in how urban zoos manage aging primates and specialized medical needs within constrained budgets. As institutions balance conservation goals with day to day operations, moves like Twiggys illustrate the interplay between animal welfare planning and local economic and cultural benefits provided by the zoo. Visitors can expect Twiggy to be visible after the quarantine and introduction phases are complete, once keepers determine it is safe and appropriate for the troop and for her ongoing care.