Some 52 years ago or more, a baby girl was born in the forests of Sierra Leone, Africa. As Jane Goodall was taking her first pioneering steps into the world of chimpanzees, this little girl was taking her own first steps in her forest home. As Ham the chimpanzee rocketed into space, the little girl nestled comfortably in the embrace of her mother. All she knew was the laughter of her playmates, the love of her family, and the beauty and wonder of her forest home.

 

Suddenly, with the blast of a gun, the little girl’s world was shattered. As her mother’s life drained from her body, as her family’s screams echoed through the forest, her life changed forever.

 

The little girl was shipped halfway around the world, eventually arriving at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. This land of desert, concrete, and steel could not have been more different from what she knew. Hairless hands held her and tattooed a number on her chest and leg. She eventually became familiar with a vocal refrain, “Dana.” The little girl from Sierra Leone had become Dana, Air Force chimp #625.

Read more –  http://www.savethechimps.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.details&ArticleId=298