Chimps - Uganda

March 1996
Debby Cox has a dream. She wants to free a group of prisoners. Incarcerated at Entebbe Zoo, Uganda, there is a colony of orphan chimps. They charge around their wire-mesh cage, desperate for affection. Their big hairy arms will embrace just about anything, including the camera! Six hours drive away, an island sanctuary in Queen Elizabeth National Park allows captive chimps to lead a semi-wild existence. An experiment to introduce a 3 month year old orphan into the group proves successful. Debby and her Zoo Director hope to establish a similar sanctuary at Entebbe. In the Kigali reserve, Harvard University Professor, Richard Wrangham has spent twelve years crouching in the undergrowth, watching wild chimps in their natural environment. We hide in a clearing as two young males eat cautiously in front of the camera. But the chimp population is under threat from in-breeding. Debby wants to solve the problem by gradually introducing her orphan chimps into the gene pool. Significantly, 98% of those chimp genes are exactly the same as our own. If it is a crime to imprison innocent humans, surely the same applies to Debby's 'chimp people'.

Produced by ABC Australia
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

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• Africa
• Chimps
• zoo
• prisoners
• orphans
• island
• sanctuary
• Queen
• Elizabeth
• National
• Park
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• current affairs
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[ng21644605]

It is said that humans are more intelligent than chimpanzees. _ Some of the asinine comments posted here would indicate otherwise. -. Why is that people with no lives must constantly insult those who do ?

[elitet0kr]

hikaroomaster, have you lost touch with reality? You are an animal yourself, moron. I'd like to see you on a plate, idiot.

[SabertheWatchkeeper]

@suzic63

Thanks for this information. I since found out just how successful Debby has been in helping the chimps. Thanks to all the hard work of Debby, JGI and local people the chimps are getting looked after now. We just have to stop them getting orphaned in the first place by the bushmeat trade. Anyone reading this should stand up for the rights of chimps.

[suzic63]

Debbie is the founder of Ngama Island chimp sanctuary-where these and other chimps live out there lives in the wild, associated with Jane Goodall Institute!

[1991Lev]

Kiss on the mouth??? Disgusting......... 

[Watchkeeper777]

I really hope Debbie gets the support she needs and things work out for these chimpanzees. They deserve much better. And look how they play and jump around.

They are wonderful.

[fabioproductions]

I would be kind of afraid, making the fact of the reports of people being torn apart by chimps I mean they are cut but I wish there werent so many that become violent

[Saartje05]

@hikaroomaster Right then.

[hikaroomaster]

@Saartje05 Wrong. i know that all kinds of people risk their lives for em.

[Saartje05]

@auting82 I guess there are many chimps in Boznia. Educate yourself before saying things that aren't true.

[Saartje05]

@hikaroomaster You'd be surprised how many people gave their lives to save that of an animal.

[Saartje05]

@hikaroomaster You all are what?