APE FAMILY MAKING BEST OF CONCRETE SURROUNDINGS.Byline: Terri Hardy Daily News Staff Writer It's breakfast time, and the 14 members of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Zoo's chimpanzee chimpanzee, an ape, genus Pan, of the equatorial forests of central and W Africa. The common chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes, lives N of the Congo River. Full-grown animals of this species are up to 5 ft (1. family are happily munching on apples, beets and onions. Head to head, benevolent elders Toto and Bonnie bon·ny also bon·nie adj. bon·ni·er, bon·ni·est Scots 1. Physically attractive or appealing; pretty. 2. Excellent. are sharing food and quiet time together. Pandora cradles her 3-month-old baby, Ripley, in the shade of the concrete rocks. A member of the clan comes by and kisses the baby on the head. Then that rascal Judeo, the group's dominant male, slaps youngster Jerard and races away. The little chimp screeches in rage and runs after him. Keeper Vicki Bingaman sighs. ``They'll have to resolve that sometime today, or the whole group will get tense.'' Only Bingaman knows the macho guy's secret: In quiet times, he's reduced to jelly when she tickles his feet. Soon Gracie spots Bingaman and races to the rock ledge. The chimp grins and throws a beet beet, biennial or annual root vegetable of the family Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family). The beet (Beta vulgaris) has been cultivated since pre-Christian times. . ``She's a typical teen-ager - obnoxious,'' Bingaman said with a laugh. ``She's also really smart. This exhibit doesn't offer lots to do, so she makes up games. Once she beaned a squirrel walking on the wall with a head of lettuce.'' Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo founded in 1966, is a large zoo located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Zoo, located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, is home to 1,200 animals from around the world. officials say the group of 14 provides a unique look into chimpanzee behavior because of its large size, long period of time spent together and two adult males living together. ``They've got a real strong social bond. I don't think you'll find a group like this in any zoo,'' said Jennie McNary, the keeper who supervises the area. Keepers do what they can to perk up the chimps' dull concrete surroundings with toys or new taste treats. Once they hid wrapped bites of lasagna around the exhibit, sending Toto into a tizzy tiz·zy n. pl. tiz·zies Slang A state of nervous excitement or confusion; a dither. [Origin unknown. . ``He was so excited, he ran around kissing everyone and singing - then he quickly gathered them up,'' Bingaman said. Although Pandora and Judeo are the dominant female and male, it's Toto and Bonnie - at the zoo since the 1960s - that provide the stable influence, Bingaman said. Toto gently teaches the youngsters and soothes conflicts. Bonnie, who carries a wise and soulful soul·ful adj. Full of or expressing deep feeling; profoundly emotional. soul  ful·ly adv. expression, can be counted on ``to love anything,'' Bingaman said. When she gave birth to a stillborn stillborn /still·born/ (-born) born dead. still·born adj. Dead at birth. stillborn, n an infant who is born dead. stillborn born dead. chimp, Bonnie went to the keeper for help but couldn't bear to give her baby up until the next day, Bingaman said. ``What a bunch; they're the best,'' Bingaman said. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Keeper Vicki Bingaman has spent a lot of time feeding and obse rving the chimps at the Los Angeles Zoo. Dusty Locke/Special to the Daily News |
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