Chimpanzee Cecilia, 22 years old, became famous worldwide in April 2017, when she was transferred from Mendoza zoo, in Argentina, to the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba, in São Paulo, Brazil (affiliated to GAP Project). She was the first chimpanzee in the world who is really enjoying the right to live in a sanctuary granted through a Habeas Corpus, generally considered an exclusively human legal instrument.

Cecilia adapted very well to the daily routine at the sanctuary and four months after she arrived was completely integrated and began to share her enclosure with male Marcelino, with whom she lives peacefully until today.

Cecilia and Marcelino’s main enclosure is directly connected with other four different enclosures. “We promote changes of enclosures so that the chimpanzees can have more space. Apart from that, there are other enrichment resources like tunnels and walkways”, explains Dr. Juliana Kihara, vet at the sanctuary. 

Check some of the moments of Cecilia and Marcelino at the sanctuary: