“Five adult chimps—Donald, Hazel, Victoria, Zulu, and Debbie, known as the Dahlonega Five—were rescued by the Primate Rescue Center in 1998…The Dahlonega chimps were all victims of the exotic pet trade, callously pulled from their mothers’ arms days after birth to become novelty pets and commodities for human entertainment…Hazel, the alpha female, had been in the circus, bearing the nickname “Lump Lump” because she would not perform tricks.”
From “One Voice” by Eileen Dallaire
Image © Primate Rescue Center
“The ‘toe groomer’ Toto, a middle-aged, wild-caught former circus chimp, had a playful, gregarious personality. He always acknowledged my appearance with long, elaborate greeting displays, which I returned with great enthusiasm, unhindered by zoo patrons observing the event…Our interactions lasted well into Toto’s old age, when his eyesight and hearing had become so poor he was unable to recognize me at a distance.”
From “Irrevocable Bonds” by Erna Tobak
Image courtesy of Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association © Steve Dixon
“Pandora, who had been born at the zoo and raised in its nursery, was an intelligent, politically astute, dominant female, as well as a highly skilled parent. Her role as a disruptive negotiator during male altercations was an indispensable contribution to group harmony.”
From “Irrevocable Bonds” by Erna Toback
Image © Bruce Gelvin Photography
“Pancho lived in a 320-square-foot heated exhibit with a 6-meter glass wall, an artificial tree, and a hammock. Despite its acceptable size, his exhibit was a closed, indoor area that didn’t allow him to breathe fresh air, feel the rain or sunshine on his body, or experience grass and soil under his feet….Pancho had been living alone for thirty-five years.”
From “Against All Odds: Helping Chimpanzees Around The World” by Hilda Tresz
Image courtesy of Leandro Barrios | Buenos Aires Zoo
“Bonnie, a middle-aged wild-caught chimpanzee, had a sweet, gentle, empathetic temperament. Despite having been raised by humans as a pet, Bonnie displayed the same species-typical behaviors observed in her wild female counterparts—those of an attentive mother, aunt, companion, and peacemaker.”
From “Irrevocable Bonds” by Erna Toback
Image © Bruce Gelvin Photography
“I watched her suffering, her confusion, her fear. The bizarre and sad behaviors she had adopted to survive the realities of the lab—holding the bars and spinning herself around—were the only ways she could soothe herself and release her panic. I stood by helplessly for hours as Jeannie entered a trancelike state of dissociation where the mind and heart and body are separated from each other in a desperate attempt to be free from pain.”
From “Knowing Jeannie” by Gloria Grow
Image courtesy of Fauna Foundation
“When Fauna finished creating its outdoor islands and the chimps were gradually let out, most of them were frightened and stayed comfortably close to the building; Tom, however, bolted straight out, galloped across the entire island, leaped onto the trunk of a huge tree, and began to climb. When he was about sixty feet above us, he stopped and rested in the crook of a branch, looking out across the sanctuary. Gloria wept and said, ‘I think it’s confirmed: this is a wild-caught chimp.’”
From “Evolution” by Allison Argo
Image courtesy of Fauna Foundation
“At about age two, Ikuru had been rescued in the DRC by a Ugandan military officer after the troops had raided a rebel camp and discovered her sitting beside the chopped- up body of her dead mother….While most eventually recover, some, like Ikuru, who today resides in a community of chimpanzees on Ngamba Island, live with psychological scars forever.”
From “The Special Ones” by Debby Cox
Image © Andy Nelson | www.andynelsonphotos.com
“I have not been able to do anything for Etaito, but the veterinarians from the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) probably can. By chance, they are close to Goma on their journey to Congo Brazzaville, where an Ebola outbreak had been reported in a population of wild western lowland gorillas. Using my bed as an operating table, they anesthetize Etaito and begin a hurried examination, taking blood, recording body temperature, listening to his heart, and monitoring his breathing. Nicole and Tessa exchange worried glances with me as our beloved Etaito is transformed into a patient.”
From “The Goma Five” by John Debenham
Image © John Debenham
“Based on the limited information we had from the sending institution, we planned to house Mason with two of our special needs and more handicapped males, Woody and Lyons. But when Mason arrived I knew he did not belong in that group; he was stocky, muscular, and very healthy. Mason was also playful and mischievous, with a twinkle in his eye.”
From “Full Circle” by Amy Fultz
Image © Chimp Haven
“Puddin’ and Mason became best friends, spending time sitting near young sweet gum trees while peacefully eating the leaves and grooming each other. Sometimes we found them holding hands or touching as they slept….Mason did not want to leave Puddin’ the day the veterinary staff decided he should suffer no longer. At first refusing to budge when asked to move to a room that would separate him from Puddin’, he aggressively displayed at the staff. Recognizing Mason’s need to say goodbye, staff members gave Mason and Puddin’ additional time together…”
From “Full Circle” by Amy Fultz
Image © Chimp Haven
“Liberia has the second largest population of western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and the largest tracts of connected forests remaining in West Africa, extending to Sierra Leone to the west, Guinea to the north, and Côte d’Ivoire to the east. But chimpanzees in Liberia are critically endangered due to habitat destruction, the sale of their meat for consumption, and local and international trade of infants. Orphaned chimps are coming to our sanctuary faster than we are able to keep up, reflecting the magnitude of this tragic situation.”
From “Unbreakable Spirits” by Jenny Desmond
Image © Jenny Desmond | Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection
“Niyonkuru had been rescued from a Congolese hunter who had been trying to sell him in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Soon after Niyonkuru arrived, an incident made us realize how traumatized he was. At the end of each day, the infants were placed into sky kennels to sleep, two together. One evening a volunteer returned to check on the infants and realized that one of Niyonkuru’s fingers had been accidently caught in the door. This had to have been very painful, and yet Niyonkuru sat motionless, as if comatose.”
From “The Special Ones” by Debby Cox
Image © Nicole G. Sharpe
“We learned that Jody’s life consisted of a constant rotation of male chimps to impregnate her. Jody had become pregnant eleven times, had two miscarriages, and had given birth nine times. In each instance, her baby had been taken away almost immediately and, within a few weeks, another male was put in her cage to impregnate her again.”
From “A Measure of Hope” by Diana Goodrich
Image © Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
“Sadly, we know little of the chimpanzees’ histories. Many of the files were ‘lost’ during the chimpanzees’ journey to the halfway house. I do know that Shege got her name from the Swahili word shege, which means ‘street child.’ She was found caged on the side of a street, most likely waiting to be sold into the illegal pet trade.”
From “The Goma Five” by John Debenham
Image © John Debenham
“The babies were routinely taken away from their mothers about five times during their first year for at least half a day so the health of both mothers and babies could be closely monitored. None of the mothers gave up their infants willingly or tolerated examination of their babies, so the mothers had to be knocked down (anesthetized). When the infants were finally removed for good, their mothers would look in hopeful anticipation whenever their unit doors opened but otherwise remain depressed for long periods of time.”
From “A Family of Strangers” by Nancy Megna
Image © Nancy Megna
“Gola, given to us in August 2016, not only witnessed the murder of her mother and family but watched the poacher chop up her mother’s dead body and was then carried off in one of his arms, with her dead mother’s body in the other. Gola was the youngest infant I had ever had in my care, and I was terrified that I lacked sufficient skills to properly care for an infant so small she could fit in my hand. However, Gola, despite her fear, shock, and trauma, not only survived but thrived.”
From “Unbreakable Spirits” by Jenny Desmond
Image © Jenny Desmond | Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection
“We are not supposed to have favorites in science, but I loved Josie best. She would come to the glass windows, arms crossed in front of her; nod when she recognized someone; and tap herself on the head when she was extremely excited. Josie always connected with me by making eye contact. When there were fights, she would run to the glass to find comfort and companionship from me.”
From “Up Close with Primates” by Kristina Casper-Denman
Image © Kristina Casper-Denman
