According to the UN, in a century its population in the wild has decreased drastically, from one million to just more than 150,000 individuals. The species is in danger of extinction today. We have worked to encourage positive and natural attitudes among them," Recuero said.īioparc Fuengirola is calling for the need to protect the world´s chimpanzee population, to care for them and conserve their natural habitat. Now, she is living a good life and the whole team is proud of all her progress.
"With individualised care and patience, the needs of an animal that was very physically and psychologically abused were properly addressed. The integration work was slow, but thanks to the effort and dedication of the veterinary team and caregivers, Julieta managed to participate in the group she felt more comfortable among her peers and began to show behaviours typical of her species, such as grooming and playing. Behaviours that two decades later he still maintains and which visitors can see by her installation," Recuero said. "From the very first moment she showed such human-like attitudes as giving hugs or throwing kisses to people. Her behaviour was completely humanised and she showed a greater attachment to humans than to her primate brothers. Julieta was unaware of the existence of members of her own species. Her introduction into the group of chimpanzees already housed at the Malaga conservation centre was not easy. This was abnormal and dangerous behavior, derived from the situation she had been living in," explained Jesús Recuero, veterinarian and technical director of Bioparc Fuengirola. She was nervous, pulled out her hair and bit her feet and hands. "All those years in solitude, abandoned and without any contact with the outside world caused her serious mental and physical disorders. But, as she grew in size, she was caged for a decade until 1999, when the Guardia Civil´s environmental unit, Seprona, rescued her and offered her to the old zoo in Fuengirola, now Bioparc, where she lives happily alongside other primates. Julieta, who is around 55 years old, spent much of her childhood, in the 70s, being a tourist attraction on the beaches of the Costa del Sol. Why do they want to take that away? We’re having an affair, I’ll just say… Other dozens of visitors are allowed to make contact.On International Chimpanzee Day, this 14 July, Bioparc Fuengirola is championing the story of one of their lucky charges.
Timmermans expressed frustration at being banned from visiting her primate companion in her interview with ATV. “He then sits on his own outside of visiting hours.” “When Chita is constantly surrounded by visitors, the other monkeys ignore him and don't consider him part of the group, even though it's important for him,” a spokesperson for the zoo told ATV. His relationship with the chimpanzees who were raised in captivity, however, has been more strained.
Raised as a pet before being given up to the zoo when his behavior became unmanageable, Chita has retained a keen interest in people throughout his 30 years in the enclosure, according to Antwerp Zoo curator Sarah Lafaut. Her weekly visits consisted of waving to Chita and blowing him kisses through the glass.īut zookeepers believe the interactions were harming the chimpanzee’s social status within his group. “I love that animal and he loves me,” Timmermans said in an interview with Belgian broadcaster ATV.
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