Rescue completed: all animals are fine and in their enclosures

posted in 24 Oct 2014

Check some photos of the animals rescued from a zoo in the northeast of Brazil, who are already in the Sanctuary of the Great Apes and Felines of Sorocaba, in their enclosures.

The photos show the truck with the shipping boxes and the chimpanzees Jamaica, Maria das Dores and Martin, and Chitara and Kiara, the lionesses.

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posted in 25 Apr 2025

Facial touch contributes to the social development of human and chimpanzee infants

Recent article published in the scientific journal Animal Cognition documented facial touches of human and chimpanzee babies on other individuals. Different groups were observed to verify the importance of social touch in offsprings' development. Babies use their bodies to interact and engage and touch is among the most common actions in this context.

posted in 04 Apr 2025

Bonobos use a kind of syntax once thought to be unique to humans

The way bonobos combine vocal sounds to create new meanings suggests the evolutionary building blocks of human language are shared with our closest relatives. “It’s the first time in any animal species that there is an unambiguous evidence for non-trivial syntax, non-trivial compositionality, and so that changes the game,” says researcher Maël Leroux.

posted in 24 Mar 2025

Chimpanzee Yoko travels from Colombia and arrives at his new home, the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba, SP, Brazil

After months of documentation procedures and two days of travel, Yoko, a 38-year-old chimpanzee, finally arrives in Brazil on Monday, March 24, 2025. He will be a new resident of the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil, affiliated with the GAP Project. Yoko was the last remaining chimpanzee at Bioparque Ukumari in Pereira,…

posted in 27 Feb 2025

Africa: DRC government directive triggers panic in ape sanctuaries amid ongoing conflict

The Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center began 2025 with concern and uncertainty. Amidst the violent conflicts plaguing the country, a government request to transfer chimpanzees from the Sanctuary to the capital's zoo in Kinshasa has sparked a crisis and raised suspicions, potentially putting the animals at serious risk.

posted in 04 Feb 2025

Elephants, gorillas and chimps hold out in Cameroon’s largest protected landscape

WWF research has revealed that the population of elephants, gorillas and chimpanzees in and around two national parks (Boumba Bek and Nki) in Cameroon has remained relatively stable since 2016. Conservationists celebrate, but continue to warn about the threats still facing wild populations.

Residents' Stories

posted in 11 Apr 2025

Adaptation and Challenges

Yoko has passed the halfway mark of his quarantine and the main expectation revolves around how he will react when given the opportunity to interact with another chimpanzee at close range.

Yoko

Chimpanzee

He arrived at the Sanctuary after an unprecedented operation involving several organizations that mobilized to make his transfer possible. Yoko was the last remaining captive chimpanzee in Colombia.

Date of birth: 1986
Origin: Biopark Ukumari (Colombia)
Sanctuary: Sorocaba, São Paulo/Brazil

posted in 06 Mar 2025

Nega and Pinho: life together at the Sanctuary

We remember with love Nega (born in 1977, first photo) and Pinho (born in 1985, second photo). Both lived for many years in the famous Garcia circus, "working" in the performances. However, they were kept in separate cages.

in memoriam

Pinho

Chimpanzee

He lived in Garcia circus, where he had several children.

Date of birth: 1985
Origin: Garcia circus
Sanctuary: Sorocaba, São Paulo/Brazil

posted in 24 Apr 2024

Katai and Sansão: orangutans in captivity in Brazil

Female orangutan Katai is the only resident of the species in a sanctuary in Brazil. Sansão lives alone in the São Paulo zoo for years. A lawsuit requests Sansão to be transferred to the sanctuary, aiming to improve both orangutan’s…

Katai

Orangutan

Meet the beautiful Katai! The female orangutan was born in 1985 in a German zoo and is a Sumatra/Borneo hybrid. Since 2010, she has been one of the residents of the Anami Institute's Great Apes Sanctuary, in Paraná.

Date of birth: 02/07/1985
Origin: Germany
Sanctuary: São José dos Pinhais, Paraná/Brazil