- Title: CHILE: ABUSED CHIMP RESCUED FROM CIRCUS TO BE REPATRIATED TO NATIVE ZAMBIA.
- Date: 25th May 2003
- Summary: (U7) PENAFLOR, CHILE (RECENT) (REUTERS) 1. PRIMATE RESCUE CENTRE IN PENAFLOR 2. DIRECTOR OF RESCUE CENTRE ELBA MUNOZ GREETING CHIMPANZEE 'TOTO' 3. CHIMPANZEE 'TOTO' CARESSES HAND OF ELBA MUNOZ 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHIEF MARIO GALLARDO PENA, SAYING "He was in a circus, in a very narrow cage. Because of that, he had problems with conduct and abuse problems." 5. CHIMPANZEE 'TOTO' CARESSES ELBA MUNOZ 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MUNOZ SAYING "He arrived in very bad condition. In the first videos, we see him stereotyped movements. In other words, they're repetitive movements that he makes because of stress. He even had coprophagy; he eats his own excrement. He ate them. Now that's been diminishing. All those conducts have been diminishing. In other words, he's much better." 7. TOTO CLIMBING TREE 8. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MUNOZ SAYING "Yes, he lived with people; he was very mistreated. The problem that these animals have is that when they're caught, they take care of them in houses like middle-class children. They put stoves, chimneys, toys at their disposal. But when they grow, they pull out their eye teeth, castrate them, chain them, they put them in a box and he's gone on to be an unwanted child. So, at their base they were neither human nor chimpanzee." 9. TOTO IN INTERIOR OF CAGE; BOX IN WHICH TOTO WAS KEPT IN CIRCUS; TOTO TAKES HAND OF VISITOR 10. ELBA MUNOZ SHOWS LEGAL DOCUMENTS ORDERING TOTO'S SEIZURE; MV TOTO WITH MUNOZ 11. SCU PICTURE OF TOTO'S DAMAGED TEETH 12. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MUNOZ, SAYING "I am happy because I've seen that he's making many gestures, many vocalizations that are from chimpanzees. And that is the base that will prepare him for his trip to Chinfunchi (Zambia)." 13. SCU TOTO DRINKING WATER; ELBA AT THE PRIMATE REHABILITATION CENTRE 14. PRIMATES RECOVERING; ELBA FEEDING PRIMATES 15. TOTO BIDDING FAREWELL TO VISITOR; TOTO IN INTERIOR OF CAGE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 9th June 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PENAFLOR, CHILE
- Country: Chile
- Reuters ID: LVA1JRUTF4LMS58LII26FEXV4DFF
- Story Text: An abused chimpanzee, rescued from a Chilean circus,
has been the focus of efforts to repatriate it to his native
Zambia with funding from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney.
Toto the chimpanzee was rescued from a Chilean circus
in February and, since then, has been the focus of a
rehabilitation team that intends to return him to his native
country of Zambia.
The 22-year-old primate was taken forcibly from the
jungle at two years of age and sold by animal traffickers to
the Konig circus, according to authorities.
Chilean officials discovered that the animal had been
subjected to severe abuse. When not performing a show in which
he had to box, dance and smoke, he was kept chained in small
wooden box.
By the time he was rescued, Toto showed severe signs of
stress, including hair loss and copophragy, a disorder in
which an animal eats excrement.
Director of the Penaflor (pen-ya-FLOR) Rescue Centre Elba
Munoz said in a typical case of animal abuse, the animal can
suffer from identity problems because its never been treated
like a wild animal.
"Yes, he lived with people; he was very mistreated. The
problem that these animals have is that when they're caught,
they take care of them in houses like middle-class children.
They put stoves, chimneys, toys at their disposal," said
Munoz. "But when they grow, they pull out their eye teeth,
castrate them, chain them, they put them in a box and he's
gone on to be an unwanted child. So, at their base they were
neither human nor chimpanzee."
Chilean courts had ordered Toto be taken from the circus
which had castrated him and pulled out his canine teeth.
He was treated in a zoo and transferred to the Penaflor
Rescue Centre, where the hope to repatriate him seemed distant
due to the 8000 United States dollar cost that is, until
news of the chimpanzee's plight crossed the ocean.
Former Beatle Paul McCartney and the British animal
welfare group Animals Defenders offered to sponsor Toto's
return.
As the centre readies Toto for life in the jungle, Munoz
said she's happy with the animal's progress after only three
months at the rescue centre.
"I am happy because I've seen that he's making many
gestures, many vocalizations that are from chimpanzees. And
that is the base that will prepare him for his trip to
Chinfunchi (Zambia)."
Rescue workers expect Toto to be ready to return to his
native home, the Chinfunchi jungle of Zambia, in another
month.
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