From a cold dungeon to a place under the sun

She found him in a cold dungeon, alone and abandoned, with only one dirty blanket that served as his bed. In the silence of that prison, the terrifying moans of his 264 misfortune companions, savagely tortured in the name of “human benefit of science”, haunted his days and nights. Dr. Carole Noon wept to see him and maybe one of her last thoughts, before dying prematurely from cancer, was of that toothless chimpanzee, who became famous in Hollywood, and ot that circuses and people who raised him and, one day, without remorse, threw him in that filthy dungeon.

We know humans by their actions and deeds. Thoto is an example of the inhumanity of many people considered to be human beings, and who should never have existed.

Thoto was rescued by primatologist Carole Noon and went to Save the Chimps Sanctuary, in Florida, along with all his other companions. Thoto came out of the darkness, socialized with Ron and Dana, did other friends and had the opportunity to leave behind the dark past into a future of bright sun and blue sky.

Dr. Jocelyn Bezner accompanied Thoto on his journey of thousands of kilometers from the Coulston Foundation, in the State of New Mexico, across Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Joked with him, watched videos while Ron was sleeping, Thoto looked at the world through the window of the special truck of the Sanctuary, which had already served dozens of other trips, taking their surviving friends.

When he arrived at the sanctuary, Thoto did not think twice and put his new and smelly blanket on the back, gave a farewell to the TV cameras, which filmed this historic moment, and went to rest under a tree on the island, which was his first love in the sanctuary.

The journey of redemption and Ron and  Thoto was shown  in a TV movie in  USA, called  “Chimpanzees – An Unnatural History”, a documentary by filmmaker Alison Argo.

Thoto enjoyed some happy years of life, after more than 40 years of torture, loneliness and helplessness. He loved blankets. One day, one of the keepers counted 52 blankets accumulated in his nest. He was a collector. He was also fond of shoes, ears protectors, spaghetti, pizza and sunglasses. And women, whom he preferred over men.

Thoto had his heart weakened by the torture and suffering. In October this year, he slept among his favorite blankets in the corner of the island and never woke up, sowing sorrow throughout the Sanctuary.

Dr. Jocelyn Bezner, director of Sanctuary, had one of his most bitterdays. She knew this could happen, however, but never wanted to accept it. Thoto’s heart stopped beating and the heart of Jocelyn also lost her rhythm, her face broke into tears and she repeated … “My heart is getting very heavy… But I will make peace with the sadness yet again because I can’t imagine my life without these wonderful chimpanzees. I am blessed to have known all of them…. Goodbye sweet Thoto … “