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Our Chimpanzees
 AJABU |
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 ALLEY |
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 AMISERO |
 BAHATI |
 CHEETAH |
 CHIPPIE |
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 AJABU Female, Date of birth: 2008 Country of Origin: Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary Ajabu means ?surprise? in Kiswahili, as that is just what this baby chimpanzee was. No one was aware that her mother Mwanzo was pregnant. Ajabu was born on the 30th March 2008 and is the first of a second generation of chimpanzees to be born at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Ajabu has not been left by her mother for even a brief moment and Sultana, her grandmother has been ferociously protective of them, keeping the other chimpanzees at bay. |
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 AKELA Female, Date of birth: 1988 Country of Origin: Burundi Akela was kept in a small cage in an apartment as a pet for children. It was first thought she suffered from some kind of neurological problem as her behavior was very unusual and she seemed unsteady and uncoordinated. When Akela first arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary she was insecure but over time she has grown in confidence and is now a relaxed, happy chimpanzee who loves to play with the babies and who has taken on the role of foster mother to Jane. |
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 ALI KAKA Male, Date of birth: 2002 Country of Origin: Southern Sudan Ali Kaka was a kept as a pet with the army in Southern Sudan and arrived at Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary together with Mimi. He was one and a half years old when the soldiers had heard about chimpanzees going to Kenya. One of the soldiers carried Ali Kaka all the way to Yambio on his shoulders to catch the flight to Kenya. Ali Kaka is a sweet and kind natured chimpanzee. |
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 ALLEY Female, Date of birth: 1987 Country of Origin: Burundi Alley was taken to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi from a private home. Alley is one of the few chimpanzees at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary who came from a good home. She is a very nice chimpanzee with a steady temper, is not aggressive and is easy to handle. Alley picked up a few bad habits from her previous owner such as clapping her hands if she wants something and spitting if she doesn?t get it. She is one of the nannies of the group and is often seen where the babies are. She has now taken on the role of foster mother to Victoria. |
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 AMAHIRWE Male, Date of birth: 1998 Country of Origin: Rwanda Amahirwe came to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary from Rwanda, where he had spent 4 years under the care of some people running a research station at Karisoke. He was originally confiscated at Kigali Airport in 2001 when somebody tried to check him in as excess luggage to Belgium! When Amahirwe arrived in Kenya, he was quarantined at the KWS headquarters for 30 days then was brought to Sweetwaters. Amahirwe settled in well with the youngster and has now been successfully introduced into a family group. |
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 AMISERO Female, Date of birth: 1989 Country of Origin: Burundi Amisero, ?Ami? for short means ?hope? in Kirundi. Ami was found at the same residence as Sultana. She was found sitting in a pool of diarrhea and vomit. She was dehydrated, thin and critically ill. For the next 24 hours she was placed on a drip and was on the brink of death. However, her health gradually improved and she hasn?t looked back. Ami has grown to be a caring character and always helps Tess to carry and take care of baby Joy. |
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 BAHATI Female, Date of birth: 1993 Country of Origin: Burundi Bahati means ?luck? in Kiswahili. In July 1994, Bahati was found by a local Burundian tied to a wooden post in a small mud hut, apparently up for sale. The vendor offered to sell Bahati to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi, where the authorities were called and he was arrested. Bahati was taken into their care and her health quickly improved. She was brought to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 1996 and has adapted very well. She is a strong willed chimpanzee. |
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 CHEETAH Female, Date of birth: 1987 Country of Origin: Burundi Cheetah was purchased as an infant from a Zairian vendor by a Belgian couple living in Bujumbura. They purchased her in an attempt to improve her health as she was a very small, very sick infant when they saw her. After three years they gave her up to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi. Cheetah is a friendly chimpanzee and the other females in the group respect her. She is very social and has proven to be a good foster mother to Zee and Mimi. |
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 CHIPPIE Female, Date of birth: 1991 Country of Origin: Zaire Chippie means ?spoiled, cheeky woman? in French. On the 15th of July 1992 Chippie was confiscated at Kigali airport in Rwanda together with an Eastern Lowland Gorilla baby as they were being illegally exported from Zaire. They were both kept at the Volcano Veterinary Centre in Rwanda until the 19th of November 1992 when Chippie was taken to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi. When she eventually arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, she was psychologically stressed, insecure, and had a severe fear of men. She has been getting better each year and now loves to climb very high trees, often sitting there even through heavy downpours. |
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 CUMBO Male, Date of birth: 2000 Country of Origin: Southern Sudan Cumbo arrived together with Ezo in March 2003 at the age of 3. Cumbo had been found tied to a tree. He was the pet of a bishop in Yambio in Southern Sudan who had purchased him from a poacher who had captured him from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The bishop realised that Cumbo was going to become more difficult to handle as he grew up, so handed him over to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. At Sweetwaters he has been introduced into one of the adult groups and has settled in well. |
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 DUFATANYE Female, Date of birth: 1991 Country of Origin: Burundi Dufatanye, ?Dufa? for short, means ?co-operation? in Kirundi. Dufa was confiscated by the authorities in a suburb of Bujumbura on the 6th of June 1992 as a local businessman tried to sell her off. She was very afraid and expressed this by biting everything and everybody in sight. As a result she earned the nickname ?black fur ball with teeth?. Dufa has since calmed down and is a very strong willed character. |
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 EDVARD Male, Date of birth: 2000 Country of Origin: Cameroon Edvard was one of five chimpanzees that were confiscated at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on January 31, 2005. Along with the Julia, Jane, Romeo and Victoria, Edvard was taken to the KWS veterinary unit for tests and quarantine. All five chimpanzees were in very bad physical condition. They were severely malnourished and dehydrated, and a lot of work was put into improving their health. They were also in very poor mental condition. The origin of these chimpanzees is not known for sure but it is thought that they may have come from Cameroon. Edvard and Julia were the bigger of the five, both being about 2 years old when they were confiscated. They joined in easily with the rest of the youngsters at the sanctuary. |
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 EVA Female, Date of birth: 2002 Country of Origin: Southern Sudan Eva arrived from Sudan together with Mary, Saidia and Annie in October 2003. She was one and a half years old. She had been found for sale at a market in Yambio and was confiscated by the authorities. She was later cared for in a private house before being brought to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. |
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 GEORGE Male, Date of birth: 2003 Country of Origin: Mozambique George was found bundled up in barbed wire for sale on the side of a road in Mozambique. He was taken to South Africa and from there was brought to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. He arrived at Sweetwaters on the 31st of May 2005 in good health and mentally very strong and secure. He was not used to other chimpanzees and appeared very lonely in the beginning. He later found a good friend in Ali Kaka and together they were introduced into one of the family groups. |
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 JANE Female, Date of birth: 2003 Country of Origin: Cameroon Jane was one of five chimpanzees that were confiscated at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on January 31, 2005. Along with Julia, Edvard, Romeo and Victoria, Jane was taken to the KWS veterinary unit for tests and quarantine. Jane had a shot-gun pellet lodged in her middle finger on the right hand. The bullet was removed through a minor operation soon after she arrived at Sweetwaters. The five infant Chimpanzees were severely malnourished and dehydrated, and a lot of work was put into improving their health. They were also in very poor mental condition. Jane was successfully introduced into one of the adult groups where she has Joy as a play mate and Akela as a surrogate mother. |
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 JOJO Female, Date of birth: 1984 Country of Origin: Burundi Jojo was transferred to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi on the 3rd of May 1991 when her previous owner agreed to give her up. She arrived there in a small cage in the back of a van. Jojo had lived for 5 - 6 years in the Asian quarters of Bujumbura with her owner who had bought her from a vendor as a baby. She was well fed but kept in extremely poor living conditions with little or no social contact. Jojo was quite aggressive and confused when she first arrived at the Jane Goodall Institute and exhibited behavior such as pacing up and down. She was later transferred to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary where she has settled very well. |
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 JOY Female, Date of birth: 2004 Country of Origin: Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary Joy was born at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary and is the daughter of Tess and Niyonkuru. Although the pregnancy was unplanned, her arrival brought a positive change to the group and brought them closer together. The whole group is very protective of Joy, with the females constantly enjoying the opportunity to carry her and groom her, but never away from the watchful eye of her mother. |
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 JUDY Female, Date of birth: 1983 Country of Origin: Kenya Judy was confiscated in Mombassa, along with two other chimpanzees that were found in transit with a person who claimed he had found them abandoned in Zaire. However, he had no transit documents for them. Judy and the other chimpanzees were taken to the orphanage in Nairobi where they lived until Judy was brought to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 1993. Judy appears to have suffered from polio as a baby, and as a result has a withered leg. However, this has not stopped her from turning into a healthy adult chimpanzee who is now a mother to Oscar. |
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 KISAZOSE Male, Date of birth: 1993 Country of Origin: Burundi Kisazose, ?Kiza? for short, means ?protection of everything? in Kirundi. He arrived at the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi on the 11th of October 1994, having been confiscated from a Zairian vendor. When he arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, he was very ill; malnourished, dehydrated, anemic and covered in lice. He also had a very poor appetite but with proper care he has slowly recovered. Kiza is very strong minded and lets you know when he doesn?t like something. Like his name, he is a protector and always guards his group from baboons and warthogs. |
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 MARY Female, Date of birth: 2003 Country of Origin: Southern Sudan Mary arrived at Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary together with Eva, Saidia and Annie from Southern Sudan in October 2003. She had a very large tummy and would not stop eating. She had been found in the market for sale and was confiscated by the authorities. Mary was very insecure for a long time and tended to cling to people. She is now much more confident and interacts well with the other chimpanzees. |
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 MAX Male, Date of birth: 1988 Country of Origin: Burundi Max spent his first years with a French film crew from whom he was confiscated in 1990. When he first arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary his physical condition was poor and he was very nervous and aggressive. His insecurities led him to form a close and special relationship with the night watchman. Max has since improved a lot and although he is a very small chimpanzee for his age, he still ends up getting himself into lots of trouble and tricky situations. |
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 MWANZO Female, Date of birth: 1996 Country of Origin: Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary Mwanzo was born at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Her mother is Sultana and her father is Ndaronse. She was the first baby to be born at Sweetwaters so was appropriately named Mwanzo, which means ?the first? in Kiswahili. Mwanzo?s birth had a great impact in helping to bond the group. She is now a mother herself, having given birth to Ajabu on the 30th March 2008. |
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 NDARONSE Male, Date of birth: 1988 Country of Origin: Burundi Ndaronse in Kirundi means ?I have found peace?. He was confiscated by the authorities in Burundi from a house in Bujumbura and handed over to the Jane Goodall Institute. Ndaronse was found attached to a small wooden box in the backyard of a house with a large heavy chain around his neck. It took Ndaronse several days before he gained enough confidence in the staff at the Jane Goodall Institute to allow them to remove his chain. The chain weighed 12 kg. Ndaronse is missing the middle finger on his right hand and he has a large scar just below his knee, most likely caused by a snare. Ndaronse is an easy chimpanzee to recognize as his skin is lighter in color then the others. Ndaronse is the alpha male of his group and if the father of Oscar and Mwanzo. |
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 NIYONKURU Male, Date of birth: 1990 Country of Origin: Burundi ?Niyon? for short, his name means ?god is the highest? in Kirundi. Niyonkuru was confiscated from a vendor who had gone to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi offering him for sale. He arrived in very poor physical and mental condition, was depressed and listless, and the rope used to tether him had made deep wounds on his thighs. Niyonkuru has since made a full recovery and is now the father of Joy and is the alpha male of his group. |
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 OSCAR Male, Date of birth: 1997 Country of Origin: Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary Oscar was born at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. His mother is Judy and his father is Ndaronse. He looks like his father as they share the same light skin colour. Oscar is growing fast and is one of our more prominent males. |
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 POCO Male, Date of birth: 1980 Country of Origin: Burundi Of all our chimpanzees, Poco?s history is probably one of the most tragic. Poco spent the first 9 years of his life in a cage suspended above a small workshop, where he was placed to attract potential customers. The cage was so small that he was only able to sit or stand on two legs which is unnatural for a chimpanzee. Consequently, Poco still stands on two legs a lot of the time especially when he is showing off to visitors. We are very happy with Poco?s progress. He is one of our more gentle chimpanzees. |
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 ROMEO Male, Date of birth: 2004 Country of Origin: Cameroon Romeo was one of five chimpanzees that were confiscated at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on January 31, 2005. Along with the Julia, Edvard, Jane and Victoria, Romeo was taken to the KWS veterinary unit for tests and quarantine. All five chimpanzees were in very bad physical condition. Romeo had an old injury of two broken toes on his left foot and was taken for an X-ray, but the injury was too old to treat. The toes eventually healed and he now walks normally. The five infant Chimpanzees were severely malnourished and dehydrated, and a lot of work was put into improving their health. They were also in very poor mental condition. The origin of these chimpanzees is not known for sure but it is thought that they may have come from Cameroon. Romeo settled in well with the rest of the youngsters at the sanctuary. |
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 SAFARI Male, Date of birth: 1984 Country of Origin: Burundi When Safari first arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary his behavior was understandably neurotic and frantic. He had spent the first years of his life in a hotel, in a small dark outdoor cage where he was relentlessly teased by unsympathetic tourists. He was taken to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi in 1989 when the hotel manager had to return to Belgium. As soon as he was introduced to the other chimpanzees at Sweetwaters, his behavior changed and he became a happy, playful and sometimes cheeky chimpanzee. Safari spent time as the alpha male of his group, but has now been replaced by Ndaronse. |
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 SAIDIA Female, Date of birth: 2004 Country of Origin: Southern Sudan Saidia arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in October 2003 from Yambio in Southern Sudan, along with Mary, Eva and Annie. She was no more than a month old and could not crawl and could hardly cling on to anything. She had suffered from severe burns on the back of her head and down her back. The sores were healing but all her hair had to be shaved off in order to clean and treat the wounds. Saidia had been brought from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a mango basket, lying on her back because she could not hold on. The people who brought her claimed they had found her in the forest. |
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 SOCRATES Male, Date of birth: 1980 Country of Origin: Burundi Socrates came into the Jane Goodall Institute?s care in 1989. A United States Embassy employee agreed to help house Socrates until the chimpanzee housing at the Jane Goodall Institute was ready. Previously, Socrates had spent 5 years in Bujumbura being passed from home to home. When Socrates arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary he was very subdued and inactive but he soon started to recover when he was introduced to the other chimpanzees. Although he now interacts much more with the group, especially the babies who he spends hours playing with, Socrates is definitely the philosopher of the group. |
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 SULTANA Female, Date of birth: 1985 Country of Origin: Burundi Sultana was taken to the Jane Goodall Institute in Burundi in 1992 after she was found chained to a tree at the same residence as Amisero. Food was thrown at her as people were too afraid to go near. When Sultana first arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary she was terrified of the other chimpanzees and would scream and cling to her keepers through the bars of the chimpanzee house. She soon settled down and started to interact with the other chimpanzees. Today she is a very proud mother to our first born baby, Mwanzo and a ferociously protective grandmother to Ajabu. |
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 TESS Female, Date of birth: 1992 Country of Origin: Kenya Tess was found on sale in a market place looking miserable and malnourished. She was taken and kept as a pet with a family in Nairobi. Tess came to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 1995 and is now a mother to a baby named Joy who was born in 2004. |
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 URUHARA Male, Date of birth: 1989 Country of Origin: Burundi Uruhara means ?bald? in Kirundi. Uruhara was kept in a small cage as a pet. ?Uru? as he is affectionately called at Sweetwaters, was in very bad condition when he arrived and had lost almost all the hair on his head. At first he was insecure and frightened but his confidence soon grew as did his hair. He has the most amazing facial expressions and enjoys making faces at people. |
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 VICTORIA Female, Date of birth: 2004 Country of Origin: Cameroon Victoria was one of five chimpanzees that were confiscated at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on January 31, 2005. Along with Jane, Julia, Edvard and Romeo, Victoria was taken to the KWS veterinary unit for tests and quarantine. All five chimpanzees were in very bad physical condition. Victoria had a shot gun pellet lodged in her skull, which had fortunately not penetrated through to the bone. The bullet was removed through a minor operation soon after she arrived at Sweetwaters. The five infant Chimpanzees were severely malnourished and dehydrated, and a lot of work was put into improving their health. They were also in very poor mental condition. Victoria was successfully introduced into one of the adult groups where Alley became her surrogate mother. |
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 WILLIAM Male, Date of birth: 2000 Country of Origin: Sudan William arrived at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in March 2003. He was rescued from Nimule, a border town between Uganda and Sudan. Before William came to the sanctuary he was kept at a catholic relief missionary. Although he was kept in a cage, he was properly fed and watered. William was successfully introduced into one of the adult groups in the sanctuary. |
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 ZEE Male, Date of birth: 2000 Country of Origin: United Arab Emirates Zee was confiscated in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on January 30th, 2002. He only weighed 2kg and was very dehydrated. He was eventually brought to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary on June 20th 2002. After regaining health, he was introduced to the other chimpanzees and has never looked back. |
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