DNA test can be requested 

On Sarasota city, in Florida, United States, the courthouses are facing a different demand in the last few days due to the judicial request for the guard of a 11-month year old baby chimpanzee called Eli. The baby was supposedly robbed and sold to a woman in Florida.

James Casey, who owns a farm where he raises chimpanzees, opened a process at Florida Justice and requested a DNA test to prove the fatherhood of Eli. According to Casey, he belongs to him and had been robbed from his farm and sold by his ex-wife, with whom he is having a fight in the Justice for a divorce.

Eli is under care of a woman called Virginia “Gini” Valbuena, whot trains primates for a Hollywood company. She argues that the chimpanzee would have come from a zoo in California.

One of the controversies was the exigency to present the chimpanzee at the time of the audience. TV and the press were waiting for this moment, but Judge Charles Roberts defined that it was not necessary.  Eli waited outside the courthouse until the Judge decided that DNA test was not necessary at that moment and registered that it could be a possibility in the future.

James Casey considers that the value of the chimpanzee is US$ 65.000,00 and that’s why he wants to have his property back, Attorney Richard Buckle defends Valbuena and affirms that the test is not necessary. Casey’s attorneys argue that the DNA test with saliva is reliable and if the result is negative the case would be concluded and it would be the best way to clear out the doubts.

Casey’s ex-wife and trainer Valbuena are friends, which reinforced the suspicion that Eli had been robbed from the farm and sold. At Florida it is forbidden to have chimpanzees in houses as pets.

In the past in Brazil there were a lot of chimpanzees and other animals bypass from zoos to sellers, who would resell them later to circuses and private owners. A DNA test in a chimpanzee can reveal a lot of surprises about his origin. Maybe the case of Sarasota can happen in Brazil in the future.

President, GAP Project International