Monkey World
Monkey World monkey rescue centre in Wareham, Dorset, has welcomed Chocolat into its home.
A disabled chimpanzee orphaned by the illegal bushmeat trade in Africa has been given a new home.
Monkey World ape rescue centre in Wareham, Dorset, has welcomed Chocolat, who has been rescued in Kenya for the past 20 years.
The female chimpanzee was just a young child when her family was hunted and killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Chocolat arrived at her new home on August 16th and gradually got to know the six other chimpanzees who became her adoptive family.
G Cotman & Monkey World
This chimpanzee has been in captivity in Kenya for the past 20 years.
When she was first rescued, she was found to have wounds from a shotgun blast that left her limbs paralyzed on her right side.
Monkey World is home to rescued chimpanzees from 16 countries.
Chocolat's new family were rescued from Mexico, Argentina, Cyprus and Thailand, and they too come with various disabilities due to their tragic backgrounds.
Dr Alison Cronin MBE, director of Monkey World, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming Chocolat.”
She adds: “Chimpanzees are social, intelligent animals, so the association with members of their own species is crucial to their well-being.”
“Living in a family group in as natural an environment as possible is the best rehabilitation we can offer a chimpanzee like Chocolat.”
G Cotman & Monkey World
Chocolat was hit by a shotgun bullet as a child and her mother was killed for bushmeat.
Chocolat has already built a friendly relationship with Brian, the male leader of the pack.
She reached out for him, touching her fellow chimp for the first time in more than 20 years.
Monkey World was founded in 1987 to provide a home for chimpanzees who had been abused in Spain's beach photography industry.
Since then, the center has been rescuing monkeys, apes and proto-apes that have been exploited or abused by humans.
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