A second chimpanzee of the year was born at Colchester Zoo
Keepers found the baby on November 3. The father is Napoleon, the name and sex are not confirmed yet, and the January birth had been the first at the zoo in 17 years.
Read the original
The reporting lives at BBC News. Our summary is checked against it, and we link it on every story.
Colchester Zoo has a second chimpanzee baby this year. BBC News reported on November 6, 2026, that the infant was born on Tuesday, November 3. The zoo said it was especially glad because another chimpanzee had been born in January, and that January birth was the first at Colchester in 17 years. The father is Napoleon. The baby's name and sex are not confirmed. A zoo spokesman said the mother, the father, and the baby are doing well and are in their first days together.
Visitors are asked to stay quiet around the enclosure so the family can settle. Chimpanzees are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The BBC report does not describe a wild release or a name for the mother. The news is this birth, the second of the year, and a family the keepers say is well.
For the classroom
BBC News reported that a chimpanzee was born at Colchester Zoo on November 3, 2026. It is the second chimpanzee born there this year. Before January, the zoo had not had a chimpanzee baby for 17 years. The father is named Napoleon. The baby's name, and whether it is male or female, is not known yet. Keepers said the mother, the father, and the baby are doing well. Visitors are asked to be quiet so the family can settle. This is one zoo birth, not a count of wild chimpanzees.
- Why might a zoo ask visitors to keep their voices down around a new baby?
- What does it mean that keepers do not know the baby's sex yet?
- How is a baby born in a zoo different from a baby born in a forest?
For a teacher to read with a class. Print the story of the day · Morning announcements · All classroom stories · This week's Good News Friday pack
Colchester, United KingdomZoosWildlife conservationGood news on November 7
More good news
Other stories in the same neighborhood of kindness.
AnimalsRecord numbers of a rare moth turned up in Glen Affric birch woods
A recorder counted 43 adult Affric Twitcher moths in two days, the most since counts began in 2021. Volunteers also found 111 larval shelters, and the moth's known range in the glen is thought to have doubled.
Verified · BBC News
AnimalsPied tamarin twins are thriving at a small Devon zoo
Shaldon Wildlife Trust said the critically endangered twins were born on September 29 and kept quiet for weeks. They now ride on their parents, and the zoo is one of two in Europe to breed the species this year.
Verified · BBC News
AnimalsMountain rescuers pulled a cocker spaniel out of a hole on The Stang
Freddie fell about 9 meters during Storm Boelo, near the border of North Yorkshire and County Durham. His owner said the dog was largely unharmed and acting like himself again.
Verified · BBC News