Global Courant
A 28-year-old chimpanzee who has spent her life looking through bars saw the open sky for the first time at a Florida shelter, rescuers say.
The chimpanzee, whose name is Vanilla, spent the first part of her life in a New York biomedical research lab, according to Save the Chimps, an organization based in Fort Pierce that hosts a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees.
She was later transferred to Wildlife Waystation, an animal shelter in Los Angeles, California closed suddenly in 2019according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
When it closed, Vanilla, along with about 42 other chimpanzees, had to be rehomed, according to Save the Chimps.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, it was more difficult to find homes for the chimpanzees than for the other animals, including lions, tigers, bears and jaguars. Medical research on chimpanzees was banned in 2015, so when research facilities closed, space for the rescued primates dwindled, the agency said.
But in the end, Vanilla and some of her relatives, including her sister shake, flew cross-country in a FedEx plane to Orlando, then drove a climate-controlled semi-truck about 125 miles southeast to the Save the Chimps Preserve in Fort Pierce.
After a quarantine period, Vanilla and the other chimpanzees were released into the reserve, which the organization says includes a 3-hectare island.
This was a new experience for Vanilla, who had spent her entire life in “cage-topped” enclosures, the organization said.
She was nervous about going out initially video shared by Save the Chimps shows.
But her group’s alpha male, Dwight, opened his arms and “encouraged” her to jump into the sanctuary from an opening in their enclosure, video shows.
As he wraps his arms around her, Vanilla can be seen turning, staring up and opening her mouth “in awe”. The camera follows her as she explores her new home, constantly looking up to gaze at the sky again.
Story continues
“My first time outside, (I) was in awe of the open sky, a sight I had never seen in my life, as my former homes had cages,” reads Vanilla’s bio on the Save the Chimp website. “I enjoy exploring the island and relaxing and caring with my family on the island.”
Humans share about 98% of our genes in chimpanzeesaccording to the World Wildlife Fund.
They are on the endangered species list and their biggest threat, according to the organization, is poaching.
Save the Chimps says to take care of it more than 200 chimpanzees in his sanctuary.
Obi the baby chimpanzee is starting to walk independently at the NC Zoo, cute video shows
Monkeys talk in a “language” that humans can understand, research suggests. But why?
