Last Saturday (October 6th) the day was dawning and we were still handing out the first meal at GAP Sanctuary in Sorocaba when an ugly fight began in front of us, between a couple of chimpanzees: Carol and Alex. The cause of the dispute was a fruit called Pinha that Alex had taken from the tray and which Carol had asked him to have. An alpha male usually would give in nor female would dare ask. But here the situation is different: the alpha male has no teeth and the female has. Alex, crying, gave the fruit, but Carol did not like the attitude and started fighting, biting him while he was trying to get rid of her using only the force, for he has no teeth to defend himself.

I tried to interfere, they rolled over in the food room,  she ran away and Alex took the loss. Two deep cuts in a toe, another in the hand and a bloody mouth, perhaps for having been bitten on the gums.

Alex and Carol have lived together for over eight years. She is in love with him. They give clear demonstrations of affection, but Alex should be submissive to her because he has no way to defend himself against any act of her against him, as this situation that has happened recently, the first one I witnessed completely.

Circuses, in all their years of exploitation and use of animals, may account for human society a great disservice: a legion of mutilated. In their desire to use the animals for longer periods of time and  take advantage of the possession of an animal – whether a primate, a  big cat or a bear – circuses practice mutilation, in order to reduce the danger of these wild animals.

We have in our sanctuary in Sorocaba living evidences of the atrocities that circuses have done to a lot of beings. Bears with no claws or teeth; clawless tigers; lions without nails; toothless and castrated chimpanzees.

This horror menu is what circuses can show for the population, a legion of mutilated that buries all the propaganda they try to convey that circus is Popular Culture. Through this they raise funds from the Ministry of Culture and governments to keep this “theater of horrors” alive and functioning.

One of our concerns when we receive a chimpanzee without teeth is to avoid placing him with another that has, since this one who was unfortunate and had been savagely raped by a circus can be a hostage of one who was not mutilated. For a chimp, teeth are not only the structure to eat, they are weapons of defense. In fights between them, they usually punch each other and avoid starting to bite, since the consequences are much more serious and can reach a tragedy. The bite of a chimpanzee is terrible, we have experienced some, not serious, but the example is sufficient to assess their dangerousness. The teeth are sharp as razors and any contact produces a cut; a bite of the canines can sever any member.

It is a disgrace to any society to allow entities that called themselves representatives of “Popular Culture” – as circuses call their activity – to, on behalf of something that should be revered, practice violence against innocent beings who do not deserve to suffer at the hands of those who only see them as a business to be explored.

The legions of mutilated from circuses are there around the world, calling for justice and their mutilators are truly punished by the society that accepted such violence. This crime – like many others – against innocent and defenseless beings cannot continued unpunished!