Since the end of 2009, GAP Project and other animal protection organizations were struggling to get chimpanzee Jimmy out of Niterói Zoo (Zoonit) with a pioneer order of a Habeas Corpus to a non-human animal. Local Brazilian Justice had denied the order twice and the group was preparing to present it to Federal Court.

But Ibama (Brazilian Environmental Institute) got ahead and considered the zoo irregular to operate, and was supported by Justice. The result was the transference of Jimmy and other animals to proper locations. Within a week Ibama plans to close the zoo for lack of basic conditions to operate.

Then, at 7pm July 13, chimpanzee Jimmy, lion Sansão e 34 capuchin monkeys, arrived at GAP Sanctuary of Sorocaba. Animals that suffered for years locked in small cages and exposed to public harassment. Now they will have the chance to leave in peace, in decent enclosures, with the care of humans who respect them and free of public exhibition.

Very calm, Jimmy did not make it hard to have the anesthetics to be put into the transport box. At the sanctuary, he just left the box inside his new home – a three thousand square meters enclosure. His cage at Zoonit was 100m2 – , entered the tunnel and went to his future bedroom. He ate part of his faeces, which is an evidence of a mental disturb caused by 10 years of a life alone in a zoo enclosure. But his bad luck ends here and GAP Project is quite sure Jimmy has everything to recover and be very happy at the sanctuary.

About the Habeas Corpus, Brazilian animal defenders still have the idea to use this legal tool to free other chimpanzees who still face similar conditions in other zoos all over the country.