Boyd- The Alpha Male

Now I'm going to properly introduce the two NZ boys starting with Boyd.

Born on 29th October 1978, Boyd is the oldest of the chimpanzees at Monarto Zoo and is the father of Gombe. He is now the dominant male, which means he can have first pickings in whatever food is on offer- which must be a good thing!

Boyd is easily recognisable as most of his left ear is missing from a fight back at Wellington Zoo. He has a white beard that stretches under his cheeks, hair missing on his neck and the hair on the back of his head sticks up a bit. He's a little scarred on his face from a fight a while back but it's looking better.

Boyd spends loads of time with Tsotsi, who really seems to look up to him. They groom each other a lot and sometimes just relax together. They are often joined by Gombe and sometimes Sandali. Despite being the dominant male, I don't see Boyd displaying very often compared to Tsotsi and Gombe. He seems to be a lot more mature in that he doesn't stir up trouble really. I think he's going to be a great alpha male, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he makes of the new lady chimps that will be joining the group in the near future.

 As he has many relatives in the region, Boyd has been vasectomised to won't be fathering any babies. He has bred before, and Gombe is proof.

Boyd (standing) and Sandali