“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