Baby Chimp Rescued From Life as a Pet is Finally Learning How to be a Wild Primate

Ape Action Africa sanctuary is home to 300 primates, many of whom were orphaned by the illegal bushmeat and pet trades in Cameroon, Africa. The organization is committed to ape Conservation in Africa, a much-needed effort considering that every year, thousands of these animals are ripped from their natural habitat by poachers, looking to sell them through the illegal wildlife trade. Ape Action Africa protects Cameroon’s great apes through direct action by rescuing hundreds of orphaned gorillas, chimpanzees, and monkeys and giving them a safe forest sanctuary home.And now the Ape Action Africa family is getting just a little bit bigger with their newest arrival: a chimp called Lomié.

And now the Ape Action Africa family is getting just a little bit bigger with their newest arrival: a chimp called Lomié. Lomié was discovered by an expat working for an non-profit in the East of Cameroon. After hearing noises outside her village home, she found that her neighbor’s house was under attack from a swarm of army ants and caught in the middle of that swarm was a crying baby chimp.

With no one around to help, the kind woman brought the baby to safety, then handed him over to the authorities. Ape Action Africa quickly stepped in to help. 

When Ape Action Africa arrived to pick up Lomié, they were happy to find the little 10-month-old chimp had a good body weight and a healthy coat of hair. He was not stressed by their presence and happily fed himself from the bottle.

On the long drive back to their Mefou Sanctuary, Lomié fell asleep. The sanctuary explains newly rescued chimps often fall asleep as a coping mechanism in the face of new stresses and from sheer emotional exhaustion.

Lomié received a health check from the Manager and Head Vet, Babs. Clean bill of health for this little guy! 

Lomié loves listening to the sounds of the forest as he eats. He really wants to meet some of the other chimps but is currently in quarantine. Once he’s been released, he will meet little Larry, Paula, and Jenny out in the forest.

Lomié loves Aframomum leaves! Closely related to ginger, the stem is delicious for chimps to snack on, and according to Ape Action Africa, the apes use them to make nests at night.

Ape Action Africa notes that Lomié has adapted quickly to sanctuary life. He is relaxed, playful, full of curiosity, and loves to inspect everything with his mouth. He laughs often and likes to stick out his tongue while playing. He doesn’t have much strength in his arms for climbing and is still developing full mobility, so he likes to slide around on his front knuckles, pushing with his back legs.

As you can imagine, caring for Lomié is not cheap. He is drinking lots of milk and needs to eat a wide variety of fruits to help him grow. If you are able to make a donation to Ape Action Africa to give this boy the care he so deserves,  make a gift in his name!

Image Source: Ape Action Africa/Facebook