SOROCABA SANCTUARY

Last March 2nd, Brazilian Natural Resources Institute (Ibama, in Portuguese) confiscated from a circus in Minas Gerais state a North-American black bear and a chimpanzee. A person of the neighborhood where the circus was settled made a denunciation to the institute that the animals were being mistreated.

After the confiscation GAP Project was called to do the rescue. Things were a little bit complicated due to the fact that is was Carnival eve, it was raining very much and the first truck sent to get the animals broke, which forced us to send another one to the location.

After more than 48 hours of road trip, the animals and the rescue team finally arrived at the sanctuary, at 8 pm on Saturday, March 5th. Part of the workers of the sanctuary was waiting to help to take the transport boxes with the animals to the enclosures. The whole operation finished at 10pm.

Male bear Jake weights about 400kg, has no claws and has a few teeth left in his mouth. He must be about 15 to 17 years old. Male chimpanzee Bob lived for about 10 years in the circus, according to information collected. The chimpanzee has no teeth, which were pulled out, and must be around 18 to 20 years old. Both of them had chains around their necks. These chains were taken out in the following day at the sanctuary. Bob has already made friends with Jeber and Tyson, who, like him, have no teeth and came from a circus.

Dr. Pedro A. Ynterian
President, GAP Project International

Watch the video (in portuguese):

http://video.globo.com/Videos/Player/Noticias/0,,GIM1451038-7823-IBAMA+APREENDE+URSO+E+CHIMPANZE+NA+ZONA+DA+MATA+DE+MINAS+GERAIS,00.html