Limbe Wildlife Centre

A sixteen-year old male chimpanzee, that has spent most of his years in a small cage, has been rescued. After a long day of confiscation and travel, the rescue team and the chimpanzee arrived in the middle of the night at the Limbe Wildlife Centre.

We have named the chimpanzee Bazou, after the village where he was kept since a very young age. Bazou is much smaller then a normal adult, as a result of malnourishment. His arms are very thin and his ribs are visible.  He is showing abnormal behaviour, like plucking his hair and making strange movements. But he also seems to be craving for contact. When I pet his hand he relaxes and just watches me. Bazou must have been taken from the forest at a young age, having seen his mother being killed for bush meat. At first he was kept on a rope around his neck, but when he grew up he was put in a small cage. The old rope was still around his neck when he was rescued. It is very sad to see a chimpanzee in such a state, but we will do our best to rehabilitate him.

Bazou was kept by the widow of an important man. According to the stories in the village, the man had a special relationship with chimpanzees. When he was still a baby, chimpanzees had taken him away to the forest and later returned him to his home. Therefore it was only logic that the man kept a chimpanzee at his house. One of the people on the rescue team was our vet Dr. John. He told us this morning that the villagers did not agree at all with the confiscation. They thought that the chimpanzee was happy to be where he was. After a long discussion a few villagers chose the side of the rescue team and helped to convince the other people. In the end the villagers decided to be cooperative and the chimpanzee was sedated and moved into a travel box.

Bazou will spend three months in our quarantine, before we will start the introduction to the other resident chimpanzees.