GH – Why a Brazilian was nominated president of GAPω
Pedro Ynterian – Just to make it clear, I am Cuban naturalized Brazilian. We were already members of GAP international\’s directive committee and today Brazil and Spain are the countries which are pointing out for the work of spreading the ideas. The option for Brazil for the presidency and for new headquarters and international site was a natural process.

HG – How people can help to put an end in the exploitation and mistreating against the great primatesω
Ynterian – When we started to do this work, several chimpanzees were used in circus, parties, advertisement and were reproduced to be sold to circus, individuals and zoos. There was no awareness about the mistreating suffered by the animal who was submitted to this exploitation. All of these, in the majority, are things of the past. There are two or three chimpanzees in circus that do not work, but are kept there to be shown, and nobody reproduces them anymore for selling. We still have the problems concerned to zoos, where they are exhibited in non-appropriated enclosures that generate a lot of stress and deep mental distractions. It is necessary to show the problems that commit a primate that is maintained in a precarious situation. When you go to a non-structured zoo, look at the eyes of a chimpanzee, and as philosopher Luiz Felipe Pondé says, "You will see in them an incarcerated soul like yours". Help to free it. Report anything wrong!

GH – What is the priority of your managementω
Ynterian – Apart from continuing the rescue work of great primates in Brazil and in any other place of the world, we want to achieve the basic rights for them in our societies. Spanish Parliament recently recognized that GAP project must be supported. We hope that European Community soon assumes the same attitude. Here we are going to incite our law system so that it pronounces and recognize what the majority of primatologists and scientists already accept: that they are our closest relatives e need to live in the world with respect and privacy.

A HAPPY END CASE

If someone asked about chimpanzee Hulk until March 2008, his file could be as follows: at least 34 years old and 15 living in the dark. Blind, he had his 32 teeth pulled out and was castrated. But, at 10:30 am on March 30 his life changed completely. At that time Hulk was put under anesthesia in a surgery room to be operated of cataract. Twenty minutes later, the left eye of the chimpanzee was seeing again and light and image made sense on his brain.

The doctor responsible for the good action was ophthalmologist Walton José, who studied the anatomy and functioning of chimpanzees\’ eyes and accepted the challenge of operating the animal. One day after the operation, Hulk left his room holding hands with PedroYnterian, GAP International president, and enjoyed an open area. He did not need neither my hands nor any other human hands to walk and decide where to go", recalls Ynterian. "He saw an eucalyptus and hug it, seated under it and looked far away". Day by day Hulk got more confident and 70% of vision of his left eye. The right one was lost years ago because of an infection. Today he lives at Sorocaba Sanctuary with other animals, free from the circus routine and of the prior mistreating.