This Tiny Baby Chimp Lived In A Cardboard Box For Months Until She Got Rescued
A tiny chimpanzee named Chance spent months trapped in a cardboard box inside a store in Liberia, and her rescue has drawn attention for all the wrong reasons. What should have been a safe childhood instead became a story of neglect, malnutrition, and a long wait for help.
After an anonymous tip, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection, with help from police and the FDA, stepped in and removed the baby chimp from Kakata. Her condition was heartbreaking, and the details of how she was being kept make the situation even harder to read.
Now Chance is finally getting care, and her recovery is already showing signs of hope.
Chance is the chimp's name, and she appeared to be about one year old. Her so-called 'owners' had been keeping her as a pet in the store for a few months. It is unclear how they acquired her, but the rescue team had their suspicions.
Her rescue team believed her story began long before the store ever got involved.
After Chance lost her mother in a tragic manner, she needed a great deal of love and nurturing. Instead, her owners placed her in a cardboard box in a corner of the shop and left her there.
She was barely getting the care a baby chimp needs.
Living in such conditions took an extreme emotional toll on Chance. When she was rescued, her eyes appeared vacant, and she exhibited stereotypic behavior by rocking back and forth. She also clung to a piece of clothing that seemed to provide her with comfort.
It was a rough scene, even before the rescue team got her out.
Chance's physical condition was alarming to LCRP, as she was very skinny, underdeveloped for her age, and malnourished. They soon realized that her owners had only fed her cornmeal and rice.
Another concern was the fluid buildup in her head, which likely resulted from head trauma. They knew they had to get her out of there as quickly as possible.
However, Desmond quickly recognized this and provided her with a new, soft, and woolly blanket to hold onto.
Speaking of rescues, this reminds us of Rick leaping into a zoo enclosure to save Jo-Jo from drowning.
When they took Chance back to the rehabilitation center, she remarkably began to improve. She stopped depending on the blanket for comfort.
Small changes started showing up almost right away.
She has also stopped rocking back and forth and has started to stand up on her own and raise her arms to be picked up. Desmond says this is a great sign! She has also begun to wrap her legs around Desmond's waist instead of holding her feet while being carried, which is perfectly normal.
That kind of progress means a lot after what she went through.
Chance is doing much better now; she has even started to laugh and smile, which has warmed the hearts of her caretakers. 'It’s been very uplifting to see this beautiful little girl blossom before our eyes,' Desmond said.
Over the next few years, Chance will receive 24/7 care that will help her grow strong and healthy, with plenty of love and good food. Once she is ready to face the world again, they will introduce her to the other young chimps at the rehab center.
'She will be introduced to other chimpanzees in a safe and gradual process, allowing her to choose the level of interaction and time spent with other chimps,' Desmond said. 'Slowly but surely, she will be integrated into our youngest nursery group and will never again be without chimpanzee family members.'
Nobody knows if they will be able to release little Chance back into the wild, but it is their main objective. However, it will take a long time before they can do that.
'Returning to the wild, known as reintroduction, is a long and complex process. While we dream of this, it is not simple or guaranteed. There is hope for chimpanzee reintroduction in Liberia, as chimpanzees naturally occur here, and there are still large tracts of forest remaining. Reintroduction involves many factors and multiple groups and experts to assess and determine feasibility.'
If they cannot reintroduce her to the wild, they will ensure she has a happy and long life at the center. 'I expect full rehabilitation, and she will live in a semi-natural, spacious forest environment with other chimpanzees for her lifetime.'
Before Chance got rescued, see how Vanilla, a 28-year-old chimp, first saw the sky in a notorious hellhole.
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