Alex Chimpanzee
He lived and worked at Circo Vitória for 20 years, where he performed physical exercises and had all his teeth pulled out.
Date of birth: 1986
Origin: Vitória Circus
Sanctuary: Sorocaba, São Paulo/Brazil

He arrived at the Sanctuary in 2004. He lived and worked at Circo Vitória for 20 years, where he performed physical exercises (bodybuilding). For this reason, he had a different body structure from other chimpanzees, as he developed muscles that are not as well-defined in a normal chimpanzee.

While still in the circus, all his teeth were pulled out, a fact that probably traumatized him for the rest of his life – he would become terrified when he saw even a single drop of blood. Due to some other trauma he suffered in the circus, Alex was also afraid of blankets and therefore only made nests with special duvets that were given to him.

Despite the various traumas due to the mistreatment he suffered in the circus, Alex was a very gentle and sociable chimpanzee and lived very happily during the 17 years he resided at the Sanctuary, especially with his companion Jamaica.

Alex passed away in 2021.