Carla Nash is still in critic condition at Cleveland Clinic. She does not have her hands, eyes or nose anymore, and part of her chin disappeared. Chimpanzee Travis, 13 years old, did this harm in a few minutes. The tragedy occurred in February this year in Connecticut, United States, and ended with Travis being shot to death by the police. Although his human mother had stabbed him trying to stop the attack to her friend, she did not suffer anything.

Catarina, chimpanzee of Koslov Circus, which was located in a city called Campanha, in Minas Gerais state, was inside her owners’ trailer, wearing clothes and being prepared to a visit to a children’s school. In the end of April, Ibama and Federal Police entered the circus and announced Catarina’s apprehension. After some arguing, the circus’ owner agreed and put her voluntarily in the transport box inside the van of Americana Transport Company. After that, the chain that was around her neck had been pulled out and Catarina, as soon she felt secure, pulled out the clothes she was wearing, maybe her first rebel and freedom attitude.

For more than 30 years, Catarina, a small port chimpanzee, apathetic, calm, lived the circus routine, being presented in shows and being taken to visits in schools and events, and also to several TV programmes. We know a lot of chimpanzees, and Catarina is not one of them anymore. She learned to survive in the routine imposed to her life and all she asks for is affection. She is able to stay put with someone stroking her in the back for an hour. She believes that she can please anyone this way, and manage to survive and has peace moments alone inside their transport cage, which already traveled around Brazil several times.

The irresponsibility of using Catarina like this is enormous. It is unbelievable that the security departments of Minas Gerais and other states had allowed, until now, that she walked through the streets, schools, TV studios and other social spaces, without any prevision that one day a TRAGEDY COULD HAPPEN. Travis also used to walk in the city center and participated of TV programmes. One day he stole the keys of his room, runaway and, when Carla Nash tried to catch him, her life almost was put to an end.

More than 11 chimpanzees had been shot to death in the streets in United States because one day they decided they did not want to submit to men as pets anymore, wondering to discover the world and its risks. Ibama made the decision for the most adequate and responsible attitude, when other sectors of the Government, directly in charge for population security, missed it out. Federal Police also supported the operation, as long as it is not the first time a police officer is obliged to act against a wild animal that run away of its captivity.

The terrible example for the society proposed by the use of a chimpanzee as he or she was a pet, walking around without the minimum safety condition, with no physical or chemical contention equipment, shows how much the laws are still not respected and that a few really care about life in our communities.

Catarina has been domesticated, not to mention more, due to her suffering. No chimpanzee is converted to a docile state because was born this way. Chimpanzees share our DNA and our blood, we are practically equal, and human beings are violent and demonstrate this daily, minute to minute, through the spread of dead bodies all over the planet. Chimpanzees are just the same and the violence and aggression that are hidden in their inner are ready to explode in the most unexpectedly moment.

Catarina, who is now at GAP Sanctuary in Sorocaba, getting to know other chimpanzees, in the beginning got very scared. Then she started to react and to communicate vocally with the others. In the future maybe she will be able to do gromming and being stroked by other chimpanzee, and no more by a human who was never able to understand her.

Dr. Pedro A. Ynterian

President – GAP Project International