How old is old?
Search the internet for “chimpanzee life expectancy” and you may read that chimpanzees live 50-60 years in captivity and a little less in the wild, or something to that effect. Now search human life expectancy and you may get lost in the search results as it varies vastly among countries and cultures, but you may find that some humans can expect to live to 100-115 years now!
Most will not, though.
For a species such as chimpanzees that have only been studied on a large scale for a handful of generations and whose lifespan is measured in decades, reliable data is still being compiled. Over the years, however, researchers have collected more and more data on captive and wild chimpanzees and a new picture has emerged, one which has drastically changed our understanding of chimpanzee longevity.
Just how old is old for a chimp?
Just as most humans will not celebrate their 100th birthday, most chimpanzees will not live into their 60s. For chimpanzees in captivity the mean life expectancy is only 32.5 years for males and 40.1 years for females. These figures were provided to us by Lincoln Park Zoo’s ChimpDATA as part of a unique program we participated in to help project future demographic trends in sanctuaries, and are based on over 35 years of records from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) institutions.
These figures are average ages. So you would expect to see some chimpanzees live past the average age – Little Mama famously lived to be 79 before she passed in 2017. However, you would also expect some to pass before the average age. Like humans, chimpanzees are individuals and there is no easy way to predict their life expectancy.
What is the average life expectancy for humans? It is currently 72.
Wild life
Life expectancy in wild chimpanzees tends to be a little lower than in captive chimps. One recent study found that average life expectancy for chimpanzees was 33 years. Of course, many wild chimpanzees live longer, with the oldest wild chimpanzee estimated to be about 63 years old when she passed away.
The importance of this issue is more than just a math equation – it has the power to shape the way we think about many different aspects of captive chimpanzee care. Life expectancy can help us predict future needs in our sanctuary population. But just as importantly, it can help give us more realistic expectations about the lives and changing conditions of the chimpanzees who we all love and support.
We currently have 8 chimps who are older than the average age and 70 who are younger. We have experienced two deaths in our family; one was younger, passing at just 15 years old and the other passing at age 34. While we would like to believe they could all live to see their senior years, we will have to accept that less than half will. Our mission is still to provide every chimp with exemplary care and help them enjoy an enriched life, for however long they have left. And no matter the amount of time, goodbyes always come too quickly.