Resilience is often framed as a human trait. It has become a part of our identity.
“I survived this.”
“I came out stronger and wiser.”
For wildlife species, resilience is not about an ego boost but rather, adaption. It is a response to a new environment, a new reality or a new home to ensure their ultimate survival. As the only place in Kenya with chimpanzees, the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary vividly demonstrates this.
Established in 1993 by legendary conservationist Jane Goodall, the sanctuary is charting a new path for some of Africa’s great apes. Some of the chimps in the sanctuary had to endure a very unfortunate upbringing. Illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss pose existential threats to chimpanzees in Africa. Slowly, we are rewriting their story to ensure their past does not dictate their future. For more than 32 years here, our chimps continue to demonstrate immense resilience – without language, identity, or narrative.
Chimpanzees are not native to Kenya. Their homes are in deep rainforests in Central and West Africa. Yet they kept appearing in Kenya. Confiscated from traffickers, intercepted in transit, or rescued from private captivity, these endangered species are used for entertainment in the circus or as pets. By this time, our closest living relatives have lost everything. They have lost their home, and soul. They cannot go back home. They need a sanctuary for their story to continue.
This is the story of Judy the chimpanzee who currently resides at the Ol Pejeta Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Her story, however, did not start here.
Born in 1983, Judy might have been from Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). At the age of 10, while on transit, she was rescued together with two other chimpanzees from an arrangement that had already uprooted her from her native forest environment. She had withered legs from a childhood ailment, probably polio, by the time she arrived at the sanctuary. Her legs appear relatively smaller than her body and she is unable to walk on her hind legs like other chimpanzees.
That would have been a major challenge for her survival in the wild.
Upon her arrival at the sanctuary, Judy adapted in a subtle manner. Not in a big way. Not in an attention-grabbing manner. But in a way that, in the absence of an audience, redefines what survival truly looks like.
Unable to walk on her rear limbs, she uses her front limbs to drag herself and shift from one position to the next. She loves to eat her fruits. Bananas, paw paws and mangoes are her favorite fruits. She lived in a social group that has grown to be her entire world over time. In 1997, she became a mother to a bouncing new chimpanzee named Oscar. Currently, she spends the day with her best friends Alley and Poco – separate from the larger group. Mates that have survived too.
Thanks to our supporters and partners, we are changing the story of rescued chimpanzees by giving them the care and love they deserve. Be part of Judy’s story by adopting her:
Written By Dylan Habil