#KeWildlife – Story 20

In this #KeWildlife piece, we’d like you to meet five of the several Chimpanzees that have called The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary home. This sanctuary was established through a combined effort between Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya Wildlife Service and the Jane Goodall Institute, aimed at providing lifelong refuge to orphaned and abused chimpanzees from west and central Africa. The sanctuary has even adopted chimpanzees from Asia, and has seen the birth of the second generation of Kenyan Chimpanzees. That aside, here are some of the ‘guys’ at this haven:

If there’s any way to describe one of the oldest Chimpanzees to have arrived in Kenya, it’s strong. His name is Poco, and he was born in 1980 in Burundi – but into a tragic life. Poco was caged above a workshop and used as entertainment for guests. He was rescued in 1995 and brought to Kenya where he got to experience freedom and love, and in return, his gentleness grew. He still entertains, but at his own pleasure – never shying away from strutting before visitors who come to learn about the mammals at Ol Pejeta.

In 1983, a person was caught in Mombasa, and in his possessions were a few chimpanzees. The person, who seemed to have the intention of ferrying these mammals, claimed that he had found the chimpanzees abandoned in DRC. He was reported to the KWS team who promptly rescued the chimpanzees. Among them was a female who, by the look of a withered limb, had suffered from polio at a younger age. She along with the others were confiscated and renamed. This particular chimpanzee was given the name Judy. She was taken to the animal orphanage in Nairobi and in 1993, was relocated to Ol Pejeta.

Oscar has been termed ‘the bad boy’ of the group of chimpanzees at the sanctuary, and we can understand why. His mother is the fierce Judy and his father was the alpha male of the group before Oscar ousted him. He was born in 1997 and is known for his favorite activity that is grooming. He has several blotches of light skin on his face which makes him stand out from the rest.

Saidia is a survivor! She was brought to Kenya from South Sudan in 2003, at barely a month old, having suffered severe burns. Fortunately, death wasn’t an option for this beautiful chimpanzee. Her hair was shaved off and the wounds were successfully treated. Saidia is now all grown up and as of 31/3/2018 was a mother to one.

Then there’s the woman’s man – Manno. He was born in 2012 in Iraq and was kept at a zoo as a photo prop and fed an alien diet that gave him constant diarrhoea. He was transferred to Ol Pejeta in November 2016 where he was quarantined for a time before being opened to the rest. He is known as the darling of the group and is particularly popular among the ladies.

We share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees. Dame Jane Morris Goodall – English primatologist and anthropologist – first saw chimpanzees in Tanzania at 26. She discovered that these mammals could create tools, and strip twigs and use them to get termites out of a mound. It is said that since then, chimps have been seen using leaves as napkins and towels. This certainly gives an adventurer a location to add to their bucket list.