Chimpanzee · No. 16 of 22
San Francisco Ends 96 Years Of Chimpanzees
Twiggy goes to Baltimore, where she already knows two of the roster.
The Deal
The Grades
Maryland
Took a 40-year-old into a troop where she already had relationships. Introduction risk near zero.
San Francisco
Program shutdown, not a trade. A new chimp facility is five to ten years out.
The Breakdown
For the first time in its 96-year history, the San Francisco Zoo has no chimpanzees. The program is on hiatus, all three animals were rehomed, and the habitat is being converted for orangutans. A replacement chimp facility is five to ten years away.
Twiggy, 40, went to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, taking that troop to 17. The detail that makes it a good move rather than just a necessary one: she already knew two of the resident chimps, Alex and Abby, from a previous facility. In a species where introductions can take months and sometimes fail outright, walking into a room with two existing relationships is an enormous head start.
San Francisco also announced in May 2026 that its last two lions were leaving, in the same year it took an $8.5 million city loan with conditions attached. Franchises go through periods like this.
