News

Groundbreaking decision of Brazilian Judge for captive elephant - October 24, 2019

By Jaqueline B. Ramos* Last Friday, October 18, female elephant Ramba finally arrived at SEB – Santuário de Elefantes do Brasil (Brazil Elephants Sanctuary) after a 73 hour trip all the way from Chile. If the news about her freedom from decades of captivity mistreating was not good enough, a groundbreaking decision of a Brazilian […]

Groundbreaking trafficking verdict in DR Congo! - October 23, 2019

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance We are excited to tell you about a huge step forward in protecting African primates. When baby Ingende arrived at Lola ya Bonobo, a PASA member in DR Congo, he was in dire condition. He had just been seized from the poachers that murdered his family. They were going […]

Hundreds of zoos and aquariums accused of mistreating animals - October 22, 2019

Many “gold-standard” zoos and aquariums worldwide let visitors pet, feed, and take selfies with animals, a new report finds. By Rachel Fobar (National Geographic) IN A NEW report, an animal welfare group has flagged hundreds of zoos affiliated with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) for mistreating animals, including making big cats perform […]

Baby chimp reunited with her mother - October 19, 2019

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance Sonia, a 2 year old chimp, is her mother’s joy and the pride of her social group at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a PASA member in Sierra Leone. It as a shock to know that Sonia’s life was in danger again. She had her first harrowing near-death experience when she […]

GAP Brazil: Moments at the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba/SP – Catarina and Jango - September 24, 2019

Catarina and Jango worked for years in circuses and live together since she arrived at the sanctuary, in 2009. Jango arrived in 2003, castrated and with his teeth pulled off. Catarina is more then 40 years old and worked for more than 30 years of her life in the circus. Despite the abused lives of […]

Open letter to a Great Judge - September 23, 2019

In 2015, Judge Elena Liberatori, head of Court No. 4 of Administrative and Tax Matters of Buenos Aires, Argentina, made history in world legislation, recognizing the Orangutana Sandra, who lives for 25 years in the Buenos Aires Zoo, in the Barrio de Palermo, as a juridical personality to be judged by a Human Court and […]

Opinion: I love animals but it seems that my country has plenty of money, like it’s one of the richest countries in the world - September 23, 2019

By Prof. Alejandra Juárez* In a country with economic and social problems like ours it is inexplicable and shocking the money that is being spent on the move to give away our animals especially to the United States. But the most colossal thing is the expense that the city government has offered and spent on […]

PASA/Africa: One-legged chimp saved! - September 18, 2019

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance The stars were shining in the Congolese sky, and Yombe, one of the oldest chimpanzees at HELP Congo, who had lost a leg in a poacher’s trap as a baby, was still sleeping soundly. Yves, Bienvenu, Ntadi, and Sylveres, HELP Congo’s animal care staff, pulled themselves from their beds […]

In memory of Tarzan - September 11, 2019

From Save the Chimps Sanctuary We announce with heavy hearts the passing of our beloved resident and friend, Tarzan. Tarzan was a sweet and playful chimpanzee who proved to be an expert at making friends during his introductions into Bobby’s family. “We are deeply sad to lose such an important part of our family here […]

Almost chimpanzee, by Jon Cohen, an extensive overview of human/chimp relationships - September 11, 2019

Book review by Alyson Baker* In 1925, the American psychologist and primatologist Robert Yerkes published his book Almost human, arguing that the similarities between humans and chimpanzees would make chimps good objects for scientific study.  In Almost chimpanzee, Jon Cohen explores how different our two species are, and what that might mean for our relationship with […]

The Manifesto: Chimpanzees Are Living Human Fossils - September 10, 2019

A few days ago a 15-page paper was published in the magazine Human Evolution, Vol. 34, with four more worldwide references on this subject. The title of the work is “Pan Survival in the 21st Century: Chimpanzee Cultural Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Emancipation Manifesto”. See the full version here: Roffman_Pan The Manifesto is signed by well-known […]

GAP Brazil: Chimpanzee Black has a mate in the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba/SP - September 9, 2019

Four months after the transfer from the city zoo to the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba/SP, affiliated to GAP Project, chimpanzee Black could not have been better. He is fully adapted to the sanctuary routine and has no health problems, despite his estimated 50 years and the fact that he arrived overweighted and with some […]

BBC reinventing the wheel - August 7, 2019

In recent days, a BBC video circulating on social networks features chimpanzees of an African Sanctuary walking on two feet and requesting food from their African keepers. BBC is known for producing extraordinary documentaries of wildlife and the animal world. It could not conclude that two-foot chimps would be a product of the torture they […]

Legal standing for our no-human kin - August 5, 2019

By Alyson Baker* I stood next to Boris, a Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary caregiver, I was volunteering at the Sanctuary. I mentioned to Boris that Medina, the chimpanzee who was browsing on the other side of the fence, had something stuck on her back.   “Medina, what’s on your back?” asked Boris.  Medina stood up […]

PASA/Africa: Help Captain - July 25, 2019

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance Captain, a young chimp, has endured constant abuse and neglect in his short life. When he was an infant a poacher slaughtered his mother in front of his eyes, then captured and sold Captain as an illegal pet. He was alone, torn from the safety and care of […]

Argentine activists ask judge to send orangutan Sandra to Brazil, not to US - July 24, 2019

The Association of Animal Rights Officials and Lawyers (AFADA, in Spanish) asked Judge Elena Liberatori “to change her criteria” so that the ape does not come to the US because of travel time and costs, among other reasons. After several months in office and after the Argentine courts decided to relocate orangutan Sandra from the […]

A big move - July 19, 2019

From Center for Great Apes With the recent arrival of chimpanzee Chloe, our elder chimp “grandpas” Joe and Bo moved from their quarantine habitat over to the new expanded chimpanzee area. They made their way through the aerial trailways (about ¼ of a mile) rather quickly amidst many pant-hoots (and a few long-calls from their orangutan […]

How Social Media Supports Animal Cruelty and the Illegal Pet Trade - July 8, 2019

Images of chimpanzees and other species appear cute, but they may actually depict animals in dangerous situations. Here’s how to tell what’s safe to share — and how that helps conservation. by Ashley Edes – The Revelator Whether you find it fascinating or disquieting, people recognize the inherent similarities between us and our closest primate […]

Some Monkeys Entered The Stone Age More Than 3,000 Years Ago - July 7, 2019

Brazilian tool-using monkeys have not just been engaging in the practice for far longer than we realized, they’ve also changed the way they use stone tools over time, going through recognizably different styles over thousands of years. Three years ago it was announced capuchin monkeys were using stone tools and had been for some time. […]

In a first, chimpanzees seen smashing and eating tortoises - June 24, 2019

By Douglas Main (National Geographic) Tortoises’ thick shells protect them from most predators. But our closest relatives have found a way to circumvent this defense: vigorously bashing them against trees. In a paper published today in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists report seven chimpanzees breaking open forest hinge-back tortoises in Gabon’s Loango National Park. The […]