SPONSOR A CHIMPANZEE
History
NO DISPUTES WITH OUR FELLOWS
These great apes are our closest cousins. They know how to use tools and communicate in sophisticated ways. The connections they have managed to maintain with nature should inspire us.
The origin of the history of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) is intertwined with that of humans since we share a common ancestor. Although our lineages split about seven million years ago, we share 98% identical genes. As a result, our cousins resemble us greatly in their social, intellectual, and psychological behaviors (see sentience file). This high degree of kinship and our similarities could have led us to come closer and understand each other. Unfortunately, Homo sapiens is not known for being considerate towards beings it deems inferior, even when they are great apes like us. Consequently, with numbers estimated today at 500,000 individuals, chimpanzees are now endangered. This dire situation has led to their international protection as a threatened species. However, they continue to fall victim to habitat destruction, poaching, and trafficking. When parents are killed, their babies are sold as pets or for zoos and circuses, illegally. The unfortunate prisoners not only endure the hell of captivity and solitude away from their kind, but they are also regularly mistreated and ridiculed by those who exploit them.
Mona Foundation Sanctuary
Primates who have been mistreated by private individuals or come from the entertainment world can get a second chance. In Girona, Spain, our partner, the Mona Foundation, takes in chimpanzees and macaques that have been rescued. With psychological and physical care, they manage to recover from their past traumas. All of them were separated from their mothers at a very young age and did not understand who they really were: wild animals or humans. Through rehabilitation, the monkeys learn, step by step, to discover their identity and interact with their peers. It is a long journey to bring them out of the isolation in which they had been confined for so long and lead them towards belonging to a group, which is key to their balance and recovery.
Animal sponsorships
Victor
Sponsoring Victor means providing him with a well-deserved retirement, with dignity and respect, surrounded by a family of chimpanzees. With your support, we offer him a suitable living environment, with infrastructures designed for his physical and psychological comfort, as well as, of course, the food and care he needs.
Probably born in captivity, Victor was taken from his mother to serve as a surrogate baby for unscrupulous humans. He then spent many solitary years at the Pépinière Zoo in Nancy before being freed by One Voice. It took eight years of campaigning and pressure before his custody was entrusted to us, allowing us to transfer him to the Mona sanctuary in Spain. Today, almost forty years old, he is finally enjoying the real life of a chimpanzee, in semi-freedom. He is thriving and has overcome his shyness to find his place within a group of peers. Always attentive to others, kind, and playful, he even ensures the social cohesion of his community. His abilities are all the more admirable considering he spent a long time isolated in a cage in the past. Besides bonding moments, like the grooming sessions he shares with his companions, Victor loves to play with the various enrichment activities in the enclosure. These activities stimulate his intellect to access treats, and our friend is as intelligent as he is fond of food!
Sponsoring Victor means providing him with a well-deserved retirement, with dignity and respect, surrounded by a family of chimpanzees. With your support, we offer him a suitable living environment, with infrastructures designed for his physical and psychological comfort, as well as, of course, the food and care he needs.
