After 13 Years Alone, George The Chimpanzee Begins A New Life At Washington Sanctuary

Images by: Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

5 months in the past, George the chimpanzee was dwelling alone, confined in a roadside zoo in Oregon. Right now, he’s experiencing sunshine, friendship, and freedom at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, lastly dwelling the life each chimpanzee deserves.

George, now 21 years outdated, spent 13 lengthy years in near-isolation at West Coast Recreation Park Safari, a facility that has since been shut down. In Might, a dramatic multi-agency seizure rescued greater than 300 animals from the zoo, and its proprietor was charged with 371 counts of animal cruelty and associated offenses.

George was the primary animal rescued from the roadside zoo, and his transformation has been nothing in need of inspiring.

“Watching George uncover what it means to be a chimpanzee once more has been extraordinary,” stated Co-Director Diana Goodrich. “He’s gone from dwelling alone in restricted circumstances to climbing constructions, exploring a spacious out of doors habitat, and cautiously starting to work together with different chimpanzees. His bravery and resilience encourage us day by day.”

After arriving on the sanctuary on Might fifteenth, George spent a month in quarantine for well being evaluations and to construct belief together with his new caregivers. In only a few months, he began to achieve weight, construct nests, and present indicators of pure chimpanzee conduct lengthy suppressed in captivity.

Maybe most significantly, George is starting to join with different chimps. He’s particularly curious concerning the different males, usually seen wrestling and taking part in video games of chase, an enormous leap for somebody who spent most of his life with just one aged companion.

Sanctuaries like Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest present rescued animals with a protected haven, giving them an opportunity to heal. They provide house to discover, companionship to foster restoration, and the liberty to make selections, all important parts of animal welfare that so many in captivity are denied.

Too many animals are stolen from the wild or bred for leisure, solely to be left to endure in small, unnatural, and infrequently abusive environments. For a lot of, sanctuaries supply the one probability to expertise one thing near the life they had been meant to dwell.

George’s story is a robust testomony to what’s attainable when animals are given a second probability at life. Day by day, his braveness and resilience are a reminder of the therapeutic energy of care and compassion.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest now cares for 16 chimpanzees, relying fully on particular person donations to offer lifelong assist. They obtain no authorities funding for rescue or care, but proceed to alter lives, one animal at a time.

Please contemplate supporting Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest by donating HERE!