Happy Birthday, Tic! This big, lovable guy turns 19 this month 🥳 Here is how Tic came to live at Sanaga-Yong. In February 2005, Director Sheri Speede discovered Tic in a parking lot in the capital city of Yaoundé, where the cute baby clothes he was wearing were amusing passersby. The fairly affluent family that dressed him up had kept him as a “pet” for two years. They liked the baby chimpanzee and tried to treat him well, but they had little understanding of his needs. After a lot of discussion, they agreed to surrender him to the sanctuary, and the director informed authorities afterward. Living with a human family left Tic confused—he preferred the company of humans to that of chimpanzees. But with time and help from other rescued orphans, especially his first friends Mintak and Johnny, Tic learned the joys of laughing, playing, and sharing affection with other chimpanzees. Now he is a big, sweet adult in Mintak’s group of 12. From the forested enclosure, Tic displays uniquely by strategically launching rocks and dirt high in the air so they come crashing down on the metal roof over his satellite cage. It’s very loud and gets everyone’s attention, which seems to be the desired effect. While Tic enjoys friendships with chimpanzees in his group, he still loves interactions with his caregivers and other favorite humans. Their support is more important to him than to most rescued chimpanzees at Sanaga-Yong. Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede & story from WITHIN: Walking with the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong #chimpsarenotpets #protectwildlife #protectwhatyoulove #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #pout #poutyface #poutylips #pouty

Meet Cathy (kay-tee), another female in Mintak’s group! Cathy was a young adult in 2010 when she suddenly showed up at Mefou Primate Sanctuary, operated by our friends at Ape Action Africa (AAA). She was seeking interaction with the rescued chimpanzees and looking for food. She allowed humans to see her, but never let them come close. She was much too thin and clearly not thriving on her own. No free-living chimpanzees were known to be within many miles of the Mefou sanctuary, and there were no forest corridors that would have allowed Cathy to easily migrate from another forest. Was she a free-living chimpanzee displaced by logging or hunting who somehow migrated through human populated areas? Was she an orphan who had been held captive and dumped near the sanctuary? Her origin remained a mystery, but it was clear that she needed help. AAA took Cathy temporarily into one of their sleeping cages and soon transferred her to Sanaga-Yong to be integrated with an existing social group of chimpanzees. During her early weeks in an introduction cage at Sanaga-Yong, she was afraid of people. Caregivers handed over her food quickly and gave her water in a bottle so she could carry it away without needing to linger close to humans. Fortunately, Cathy was always interested in the other chimpanzees and was socially intelligent with them. Her integration went smoothly, and she soon became a high-ranking female in Mintak’s group of 12. Cathy is no longer afraid of the caregivers and sometimes solicits interaction with them. She enjoys being tickled and likes to make “water angels” by lying on her back in a pool of water and moving her arms up and down, splashing the water around like children do in snow. Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede & story from WITHIN: Walking with the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong, available for purchase here through link in bio #rescuestory #chimpsarenotpets #protectwildlife #protectwhatyoulove #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue

Meet Zachary, who goes by Zach! Responding to an anonymous tip in November 2005, Sanaga-Yong’s director, accompanied by two other staff members and a soldier, discovered baby Zachary in a remote hunting camp several hours from the sanctuary. He was tethered to a tree stump in the hot sun. The presence of the soldier helped persuade the poachers to surrender the baby chimpanzee and a live pangolin. The team also saw piles of dead antelopes and monkeys, blackened from smoking, but they didn’t have the capacity or the authority to arrest the heavily armed poachers. When the soldier returned later, the hunting camp had been abandoned. Little Zack hadn’t been wounded during the hunt, but he was dehydrated and hungry. As the director knelt to greet him and another staff member worked to untie the rope, he seemed to immediately understand their benign intent. He gulped the water the director offered, and soon welcomed her embrace, wrapping his little arms tightly around her. ❤️‍🩹 On the drive back to Sanaga-Yong, the team released the pangolin in an area with easy access to water. Zack spent his first three months at the sanctuary with baby Yoko, and they were introduced together to a larger group of rescued orphans in the nursery. Zack grew to adulthood with most of them, and today he is a mid-ranking adult in Mintak’s group of 12. He is exuberant in his expressions of pure joy over a favorite food, like peanuts in the shell, seen eating here! He has a strong friendship with Johnny, who has a similar enthusiasm about the good things in life: food and fun! The two make a good team patrolling the enclosure perimeter, and they both support alpha male Mintak. Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede and story from WITHIN: Walking with the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong #protectwhatyoulove #protectwildlife #chimpsarenotpets #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #stopillegalpoaching #stophunting

Up next in Mintak’s group feature: Gremlin! In June 2006, Niels Marquardt (the United States Ambassador to Cameroon at the time) discovered a baby chimpanzee in the town of Yokadouma near the border with the Central African Republic. Ambassador Marquardt worked with the Cameroonian government to make sure that the baby was confiscated and transported to Sanaga-Yong. Karen Bachelder, a long-term sanctuary volunteer, asked to name him Gremlin because he looked like one of the adorable creatures in the 1984 film. Gremlin joined the other young chimpanzees in the nursery and is now almost 17 years old. He longs to be dominant, but lacks the alliances needed to topple Mintak. Gremlin picks fights with lower-ranking males, who have often gotten the best of him. He is scarred and scruffy from these encounters and treating his wounds can be difficult. Gremlin is smart and notoriously suspicious of medication, always smelling and checking special treats for hidden medication. Most other SY chimps will gladly take juice or the rare and delectable chocolate spread on bread (hiding crushed necessary medication), but Gremlin often knows it’s too good to be true 🧐🙈. Gremlin enjoys a special companionship with Launa, the female chimpanzee with whom he shares a night chamber. In the evenings, he is often the first to arrive at the door of the chamber, but he chooses not to enter until Launa arrives so they can go in together. 🥰 Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede and story adapted from our book WITHIN: Walking With the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong #rescuestory #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #chimpsarenotpets #protectwildlife #protectwhatyoulove #gremlinsmovie #gremlins #gremlin

Happy Monday from Simossa! Here she is enjoying a mango while vocalizing to her group mates about the sweet and nutritious snack awaiting them at the forest’s edge. 🥭🤗 We’ve shared her story before and wanted to remind our supporters of her journey, which particularly exemplifies the complex issues surrounding hunting in Cameroon. When Simossa was only six months old, she was orphaned by a poacher and taken in by a European couple, Geoffrey and Cecile, who operated a trophy hunting camp for wealthy foreigners. The couple loved Simossa and raised her as their “daughter” in their luxurious—at least by bush standards—hunting camp, deep in the forest of Southeast Cameroon. In most of Cameroon’s forests, local hunters have traditional rights to hunt what they can eat, but the couple commonly saw commercial hunters taking out truckloads of dead animals of all species to sell in urban markets. Over the years, Geoffrey came into increasing conflict with these commercial bushmeat poachers in his hunting concession. The conflicts came to a head on a terrible day in October 2007—when a small group with machetes charged at Geoffrey, he shot and killed one of them in self-defense. Just before the couple fled the country, they contacted Sanaga-Yong about five-year-old Simossa, whom they had left with a friend in a logging camp. When Sanaga-Yong staff brought her to the sanctuary, she had not seen another chimpanzee since she was a tiny infant. The interactions Simossa sought and valued were with humans. Baby Kadei was the first chimpanzee she met, and although she was gentle with the much smaller chimpanzee, she seemed at first to think of her as a toy, rather than as someone like herself. Simossa and Kadei were eventually introduced to a large group of juveniles (now Mintak’s group), and Simossa gradually began to adopt more of their behaviors and to find joy in new relationships. Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede Story continues in comments ⬇️

Meet Akiba (ah-KEY-bah)! Sweet Akiba was only four months old when a former employee brought her to Sanaga-Yong after finding her in a village about 80 kilometers away. She was so dehydrated and weak that she could only keep her head lifted for a few seconds at a time. 😢 With proper nutrition and loving care, Akiba gained strength quickly, but she began having seizures and developed a high fever two weeks after she arrived at the sanctuary. Our veterinary team diagnosed life-threatening meningitis and worked around the clock treating her with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. She eventually made a complete recovery and has been healthy ever since. ❤️‍🩹 The word akiba means “thank you” in one of the local dialects. Akiba’s first chimpanzee friend at the sanctuary was baby Issah, who was rescued two months after her. The two are still close today! Akiba loves to blow raspberries when she’s excited about something and/or would like attention. She also inhales and smacks her lips enthusiastically when grooming and focuses wholeheartedly on the task at hand! 🙃 Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede & story adapted from our book WITHIN: Walking With the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong #protectwhatyoulove #protectwildlife #chimpsarenotpets #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #akiba

We are pleased to re-introduce you to a very special guy, Yoko! In December 2005, a Sanaga-Yong employee was visiting relatives in the town of Nanga Eboko when he was informed of three baby chimps being illegally held by different people. Even the town’s well-known mayor was keeping one of them. Since a government official was involved, Dr. Speede worked with the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife to coordinate a team of two officers from the capital city of Yaoundé to assist local authorities in confiscating the three chimpanzees. The officers, accompanied by the Sanaga-Yong team, found Yoko tethered by his waist to a wall behind a mudbrick house. 💔 Suffering from watery diarrhea and a respiratory infection, he was sad, emaciated and dehydrated. He had somehow survived a year tied behind the house. 😢 Yoko and a younger baby were brought to Sanaga-Yong, while the third baby went to our friends at Ape Action Africa. With medical care and plenty of good food, Yoko grew stronger. His first chimpanzee friend at Sanaga-Yong was baby Zachary, who was rescued shortly before him, and the two soon joined a growing group of rescued orphans in the nursery, which is now Mintak’s group. Yoko generally avoids conflict as a low-ranking male, but as you can see in this photo, he had a wound on his face at the time this photo was taken which was left from a fight. Yoko let our medical team treat his minor wound and he’s all healed up now! 😌 This big guy stomps his foot to initiate play with his group mates and caregivers and laughs often. He is truly one of the sweetest chimpanzees at Sanaga-Yong! 🥰 Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede & rescue story adapted from our book WITHIN: Walking With the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong #protectwhatyoulove #protectwildlife #chimpsarenotpets #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #yoko #sweetguy #stopillegalpoaching

Next up in our Mintak group feature is the beautiful Issah! In February 2004, authorities from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) confiscated baby Issah from a village chief in the town of Belabo, about 45 minutes from the sanctuary. Sanaga-Yong staff had alerted authorities about the baby and then assisted them with the confiscation. She was named after the MINFOF officer who carried out the confiscation. When she arrived at Sanaga-Yong, Issah was infested with lice and had nail polish on her fingernails. After she was cleared of lice, Issah was introduced to baby Akiba, who arrived two months earlier. The two gradually joined other arriving babies and all grew up together to form their current group. Issah is the most dominant female and carries herself with confidence, grace and craft. She is a joy to know and easy to identify with her piercing bright eyes and pointy ears 🥰. Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede #rescuestory #chimpsarenotpets #protectwildlife #protectwhatyoulove #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #issah

Johnny is next for our feature of Mintak’s group! This month 17 years ago, a poacher relinquished baby Johnny to a Peace Corps volunteer in the village of Ngoila, just south of Cameroon’s Dja Faunal Reserve. The volunteer thankfully knew of Sanaga-Yong and contacted the sanctuary. Johnny was integrated with the other young chimpanzees and had no issues fitting in. Over the years Johnny has built lasting friendships in his social group, and he loves to interact with his caregivers too. As an adult he is tall and lanky, with a lovable, silly demeanor. He loves to play chase along the fence line with his human friends, and never tires of it! Johnny’s eyes are set closer together than most other chimpanzees, which makes his endearing face easy for new employees and volunteers to recognize. 🙃 Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede & story adapted from our book WITHIN: Walking With the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong #protectwhatyoulove #protectwildlife #chimpsarenotpets #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #johnny #johnnyboy

Meet Kadei (kah-DAY) Rescue story from our book WITHIN: Walking With the Chimpanzees of Sanaga-Yong ➖ A Dutch expatriate working with the Catholic Church brought one-year-old Kadei to the sanctuary in June 2007. The woman had used her influence with the church to rescue the terrified little baby from children in the small town of Batouri, about six hours from Sanaga-Yong. The children had been dragging the infant by a rope tied tightly around her waist. When Kadei (named after the Kadei River that runs through the area where she was captured) arrived at Sanaga-Yong, she was understandably afraid of humans. A few weeks passed before she became comfortable in the arms of caregivers, but she gradually came to love their embraces. ❤️‍🩹Simossa, who was several years older and arrived a few months after Kadei, became her first chimpanzee friend at the sanctuary. The two are still very close friends and have been together since they met ~14 years ago. Kadei is very independent and prefers the company of her chimpanzee friends over her human caregivers, which is what we hope for 💕. She’s quite popular with the males in the group and has the flexibility to choose which sleeping chamber she wants to go into each evening, which is a testament to her strong friendships. On top of all that, she’s totally stunning! 😍 Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede #protectwhatyoulove #protectwildlife #chimpsarenotpets #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue

We are ready to introduce you next to Mintak’s group of 12! This group has been together since they were juveniles, with the exception of Cathy who joined as a young adult (more on her later). Mintak (pictured) has always been the dominant male without significant challenge from other males. He has a best friend in Tic, another large male in the group. Mintak used to be quite erratic and at times controlling and abusive towards females, but thankfully that is a behavior of the past. These days, Mintak is calmer and friendlier to everyone. His eyes are very expressive, and those who know him well can tell what mood he’s in just by sharing a moment of eye contact. We’ve also discovered that he enjoys painting as an enrichment activity! January is Mintak’s rescue anniversary month - he joined our family 17 years ago as an orphaned toddler who survived the tragic loss of his mother, who was killed by poachers for the illegal bushmeat and pet trade in Cameroon. ❤️‍🩹 Mintak means happy in one of the local dialects. Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede #protectwhatyoulove #protectwildlife #chimpsarenotpets #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #cameroon #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #feature #mintak

Our Kiki group feature concludes today with Berchi (BEAR-she), a female in the group of six who will turn 20 in 2022! Here is her rescue story, adapted from our book WITHIN: A Catholic priest and his collaborators brought Berchi to the sanctuary in July 2003 after of his parishioners had given him the infant as a gift. Not knowing what else to do with her, he kept her in a cage at his mission in the town of Batouri until he heard about Sanaga-Yong. When she arrived at the sanctuary, Berchi was scratching her skin constantly, and two of her fingernails were missing. Our veterinary team treated her for lice and for fungal skin and nail infections, and within a few weeks her hair and nails were growing back. After her infections were thoroughly cleared, Berchi was integrated with other young rescued chimpanzees and continues to thrive in her community 🥰. Berchi indulges in a unique hobby of catching bees and holding them between her lips! She keeps them alive and seems to like the buzzing vibrations it creates. If you look closely in this photo, it appears that she has one in her lips! 🐝 Photo courtesy of Director Sheri Speede #protectwhatyoulove #protectwildlife #chimpsarenotpets #rescuestory #helpushelpthem #chimpanzeeconservation #chimpanzeesanctuary #thisissanctuary #chimpanzee #sanagayongchimpanzeerescue #beekeeping #beekeeper