Who's Who at the Chimpanzee Conservation Center (CCC)

All chimps are orphans as they were wild caught. To catch an infant chimp, poachers have to kill the mother and usually part of the infant family. The chimps are then often transported to cities to be sold as pets.

All the CCC chimps are of the subspecies Pan Troglodytes Verus, the most endangered subspecies of chimpanzees, Pan Troglodytes.

For every chimp in captivity, it is estimated that ten have died in the process.

Support a chimp by sponsoring one of the wonderful chimpanzees at the CCC so that he or she can learn to live again in the wild with ultimate freedom (You may download the Support-a-Chimp Form with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader). After viewing the list of individuals in the Who's Who section and if you can't decide who to sponsor, then we encourage you to make a general donation which will further enable us to enhance the lives of all the chimpanzees who rely on us to provide them with food, veterinary care and enrichment, not to mention teaching them reintroduction skills to live wild in the forests of Africa.

Released Chimpanzees:

• Robert, male, DOB 1986
• Mama, female DOB 1992
• Lottie, female, DOB 1993
• Andrew (Lottie's offspring), male, DOB 2000
• Nanou, female, DOB 1996
• Albert, male, DOB 1995
• Rappa, male, DOB 1997
• Orlando, male, DOB 1993
• Zira, female, DOB 1997
• Nana, female, DOB 1989

Older Group:

• Bobo, male, DOB 1995
• Lola, female, DOB 1995
• Siala, female DOB 2008 (Lola's daughter)
• Rocky, male, DOB 1998
• Ced, male, DOB 2001
• Mokka, male, DOB 2001
• Paco, male, DOB 2002
• Mike, male, DOB 2000
• Sita, female, DOB 2000
• Nimba, female, DOB 2001
• Charlotte, female, DOB 2002
• Kyo, female, DOB 2002
• Laurence (Nana's offspring), female, DOB 1999
• A wild female! DOB 1997

Youngsters:

• Kindy, female, 6 years old
• Oga, male, 6 years old
• Fatim, female, DOB 2003
• Vévé, female, DOB 2001
• Louna, female, DOB 2003
• Wodo, male, DOB 2003
• Nelson, male, DOB 2002
• Max, male, DOB 2003
• Dan, male, DOB 2003
• Charley, male, DOB 2004
• Shelly, female DOB 2003
• Koumba, female DOB 2007
• Annie, female, DOB 2003
• Lobay, male, DOB 2003
• Chloe, female, DOB 2004

Nursery

• Habou , male, DOB 2003
• Hakim , male, DOB 2004
• Panza, male, DOB 2004
• Lily, female, DOB 2006
• Douma, male, DOB 2006
• Flo, female, DOB 2006
• Ama, female DOB 2005
• Kirikou, male DOB 2004

Other Group:

• Coco, male, 24 years old

Albert

Male, approximate DOB 1994

Albert was found when he was approximately 10 months old, undernourished, and lying on top of a refrigerator as a pet. Upon subsequent visits he was worse off, until one he was nearly comatose with a temperature of 34.8 C. He was taken away from the owners in order to give him the necessary care. He has since then recovered and has become a beautiful adult who will be involved in the release coming next summer.

Andrew

Male, approximate DOB 1999

Andrew was born at the CCC. Lottie has been a great mom since his birth. We don't know who his dad is. Since the older group and the middle group are together he's playing with Laura, and Nana's baby all the time.

Bobo

Male, approximate DOB 1995

Bobo comes from an expatriate house in Conakry. He was rescued in 1996 when his owner, a missionary, was ready to leave the country. At the time, Bobo was really distressed and sustained a skull fracture. He was living in a very small cage where he was rocking back and forth banging his head on the side of the cage. It has been really difficult for him to fit in with the other chimps, although the first chimps he was introduced to were all youngsters, he was really afraid of them. He's now a very lively chimp; he is well adjusted in and out the group. In May 2001, after a fight through the bars, he pulled out his upper right canine. Surgery was performed on him and he didn't loose his 1st and 2nd molars. The canine was still a baby tooth so he should not miss it in adulthood. He is very smart and can understand a lot of human verbal communication. He is an escape artist to get out of the fence and the CCC management always has to keep ahead of him - waiting for what he will do next.

Ced

Male, approximate DOB end 1999

A Canadian expatriate, who had bought him in Conakry a couple weeks earlier, relinquished Ced to the CCC in December 2000. Ced was really sick with diarrhea and pneumonia for the first couple of weeks. He was quarantined with Mike until he was introduced to the youngster group in June 2001. He adapted very well, which is quite surprising as he used to be in distress when he was away from humans. Ced LOVES to eat and eat and eat! He has a very strong personality and even the oldest chimps in the young group back off when he is mad and starts yelling at them. Ced is now with the teenagers and doing great.

Charlotte

Female, approximate DOB April 2002

A Canadian woman who confiscated her from a seller in Kamsar, Guinea, donated her in January 2003. The seller wasn’t the hunter. Charlotte was very young but didn’t suffer too much from malnutrition or other diseases upon her arrival at the CCC. A pellet was removed from her stomach area but she didn’t have any other superficial wounds. She was kept at camp until June 2003, when Amina arrived. They were then introduced to each other and she has been part of the quarantine group ever since. She was integrated to the youngster’s group in July 2005 with Amina. As the youngest of the group she has been very well accepted. She’s the princess of the group!

Charley

We didn’t have room when he first contacted us, so he offered to fund the construction of a new nursery so that we could take them. Shelley and Charley were brought to the center in August 2006. They stayed in nursery with Habou, Hakim and Panza for 6 months and are now, since March 2007, integrated with the quarantine group. They are both doing great. Shelley is very sweet and calm. Charley can sometimes throw huge tantrums, especially for his bottle but he’s still the quarantine chimp favorite.

Chloe

Chloé was rescued by a forestry guard on the North East side of the PNHN. A hunter was traveling with her, probably to bring her to Faranah or Conakry to sell. The guard came to Faranah and presented us with her. She arrived at the center in poor physical health. She was seriously malnourished, which for a baby as young as she was, could have been lethal if she had not been rescued and received treatment so quickly. She’s really independent and was placed with the quarantine after only one month at camp. Kindie adopted her right away as her surrogate baby. Since Kindie has been moved to the youngsters group, she now goes with all the chimps, who take turns on carrying her.

Coco

Male, approximate date of birth (DOB) 1983

Coco lived in the back of a hotel in Conakry, the capital city of Guinea for 14 years, chained by his neck before he was rescued by the Chimpanzee Conservation Center. In his early years, he was living as a pet of an expatriate family who managed the hotel. When he got older he was then donated to the hotel where he stayed chained to a tree, in the middle of a garbage dump. In 1995, he broke his chain and escaped to the road along the hotel. A soldier who was standing there, shot him five times. He was very severely injured. The bullets were removed and he was cared for by the current director of the CCC. Unfortunately, due to the injuries he sustained in his back as well as his right knee, he is crippled. After more than a year of rehabilitation, he could stand and could walk a couple of steps. In 1999, thanks to a generous donation to Project Primate, Inc.'s "Save Coco Fund"; a quarantine cage was built for him at the CCC. He was anesthetized and transported to the CCC in March 2000. In May 2001, a nine-year-old male chimp with a physical disability was introduced to him. Coco and Amadeus became instant friends. At the beginning of 2001, an electrical fence enclosure was built adjacent to his cage. Since May 2001, Coco and his friend, Amadeus, enjoy the freedom of going into their fence enclosure almost every day. Coco is now very healthy and happy. His left leg is still atrophied and his right knee is stuck in a 90 degree position as a bullet completely destroyed his kneecap. However, he has learned to walk, climb and play like a chimp.

Danley or "Dan"

Male, approximate DOB beginning 2004

Danley was left at the DNEF mid June by an American man. He said he had him for 6 months. We didn’t talk to him and he didn’t leave his contact. Such behavior place the center in a very difficult position as we have to take the chimpanzee even if we have no space or money. In cases of donation of chimpanzees, a $1,000 donation is asked. Luckily, a donator and friend to the project donated the $1,000 for Dan’s care. In exchange for this generous support, he named him.

Fatim

Female, DOB end of 2003

Fatim was a very difficult confiscation that involved anti-gang personnel, the director of wildlife authorities and many agents She was spotted by a friend of the center who informed the director right away. It took almost a week of discussion with the owner who had her tied by her waist to a tire in front of his garage. But when all discussion failed, the special anti-gang police had to be called. They arrested the owner, took the baby and placed her under the CCC care. She arrived at the center at the beginning of December in bad physical condition (she had scabies, taenia worm and hookworm infestation). They had also shaved the side of her face to make her look "more human". But she adapted pretty quickly and she's doing great.

Habou

Habou was confiscated in Conakry by the directeur adjoint des Eaux et Foret who saw him on the side of the road. Habou was for sale for $300 equivalent. The seller was arrested and fined. He spent one night in jail and was released on bail. Habou stayed at the CCC’s house in Conakry for a couple of days. When he arrived he stayed at camp for a week and was then moved to the nursery. He had a hard time to settle and was auto mutilating his foot for over a month. Increased attention and oral comfort through baby nipple sucking and sticks helped him recover. He’s now fine and getting bigger everyday.

Hakim

Hakim was first seen in Conakry in front of a house. The director took the information concerning him and the name of the owner, a Lebanese business man. A couple of weeks later, she found out that the chimp had been moved to an island of the coast of Conakry. She started talking to the owner to convince him to donate Hakim to the project. After many conversations he finally agreed and Hakim was transported to the center with Lobay and Jolie in March 2006. He’s a very sweet chimp, but quite spacey. He’s always in a great mood and looks like a little stuffed animal. He’s probably one of the nursery chimp favorites.

Kindi

Female, approximate DOB beginning of 2001

Kindi was donated by a Canadian man who had her for two years. He worked for an environmental NGO, Winrock. He had bought her to save her and had been taking very good car of her. After much discussion, her keeper brought her to Faranah where we came to pick her up. Pressure had to be made to ensure a donation. So far only half the funding was donated. She is now a part of the youngster group, she’s very chimpanzee and is enjoying the forest a lot.

Kumba

Kumba is Nikita's new beautiful baby girl. Nikita is a wonderful mother and though we try our hardest at the center to avoid pregnancys, this little girl has helped the group bond closer together. Even the adult males love to play with her.

Kyo

Male, DOB January 2000

Kyo was donated only 2 weeks after Amina’s arrival to the CCC, on June 13th. She was kept chained to a tree in an old logging company compound for over a year. The logging company’s manager had taken her from a hunter. She was confiscated with a young male as well. Unfortunately, the compound being by a major road, a passing car killed the male while he was out of the compound. Kyo was with him when he got killed and she has sustained a great deal of emotional suffering as a result of his loss. She adapted very easily to the life at the CCC. She’s the oldest of the quarantine group and she’s the dominant female. We’ve started her integration with Paco to the younger group. She’s been doing as well as can be expected so far. Integrations are always stressful for the chimpanzees, even though we always try to make them as easy as possible. Amina and Charlotte’s integration helped her becoming more confortable.

Lily

Female, approximate DOB beginning of 2006

Lily had been seized from the agents of Eaux et Foret near Ourekaba in the beginning of February, but due to the national strike was unable to safely make it to the sanctuary until March. She was suffering from malnutrition and a respiratory disease but has since then recovered and intergrated quite nicely into the nursery group of three little boys, Habou, Panza and Hakim who love to take care of their new little sister!

Lobay

Lobay was first sighted by a French couple that was living across the street to where he was chained up. Constant beating and his scream of pain drew the whole neighbor into action. They contacted the director who went for a visit. Lobay wasn’t in bad physical condition but demonstrated autistic behaviors such as rocking. The owner, a Guinean married to a Chinese woman, agreed to give him up after the director’s sensitization. Lobay was brought to the center on the same day as Hakim and Jolie. He was introduced to the quarantine group right away as he didn’t accept to be left in a transport cage or a pet carrier on his own at night. He was really shy at first but slowly he became more comfortable and the rocking diminished. He’s now a full member of the group. He’s got very long and dark hair. The keepers have a soft spot for him as he’s a really attentive and gentle groomer!

Lola

Female, DOB 1995

She was dropped at the government office by someone who was trying to sell her. Once he was informed of the law he fled and left her behind. She was tied up in a net. Because of that net she sustained injuries on the fingers of her left hand. To this day she has a stiff finger on that hand. She stayed at the orphanage from 96 to 97 when she was moved to the CCC. She's been there since then. She's a really playful animal and very slender in frame.

Lottie

Female, DOB 1988

Lottie was also part of the group rescued by the Swiss woman. Since she arrived at the CCC in the summer of 1997, she has matured a lot. She's very stable and outgoing. She's very comfortable in the forested fence enclosure where she can stay for days at a time. In August 2000, she gave birth to a baby named Andrew. She's been a very good mother to him, being there for him when needed, but letting him be independent as well. The teenage males of the group, who are really protective of him, are carrying Andrew around all the time. They actually fight over whom will be the next lucky one to have him crawl on their backs or stomachs.

Louna

Female, approximate DOB end of 2003

Once again a chimpanzee was dropped onto our laps. Louna was brough by her keeper by order of her owner, a French man working in Conakry for the FAO. We were given no warning and no financial support to take care of her. Like Dan, she was in good physical shape.

Mama

Female, approximate DOB 1993

Mama is a very sweet chimp. She gets along with all of the adult chimps and the new baby Kumba. She is always polite with the keepers and new volunteers and we wish her the best in the upcoming release.

Max

Male, approximate DOB mid 2004

Max was confiscated in Faranah. He was spotted by Kenda, one of the CCC’s keeper. At the time, he was in good shape and due to space constraint, we decided to postpone his confiscation until it was Kenda’s week-end. Once we got him, he was in such bad physical condition, that we didn’t think we’d be able to save him. He had a candida outbreak in the mouth ("thrush"), and plaque on his teeth that we had to remove. He always had a good appetite and a strong will to live. For the first 2 weeks at the center he was under 24 hour care - he even slept in the director’s bed. He’s now come around and each new laugh is a small victory.

Mike

Male, approximate DOB mid-1998

Airport officials seized Mike at the Conakry airport, as his owner, a Belgian expatriate, was trying to smuggle him illegally on the airplane. The Ministry for the Protection of Wildlife seized him and turned him over to the CCC, in October 2000. He has been in quarantine for six months with Ced and was just introduced to the younger group. Although he was full of energy and strong-willed while in quarantine, he now has turned into a very scared chimp; crying constantly. As a consequence, the other chimps are not very nice to him. He is another Bobo in a lot of ways, including his love for water. If he gets a chance, he likes to wash clothes at the Niger Riverbank. He can do that for hours. He will eventually adjust to his new environment but in the mean time, he's having a hard time behaving like a chimp.

Mokka

Male, DOB 02/00

He was seized in Faranah on August 10, 2002. The hunter was trying to sell him at the goat/sheep market. The CCC worker spotted him and alerted the government officials who sent agents to seize him. He's now in quarantine with Sita and Nimba. Mokka owes his name to the chocolate color of his hair. Quarantine chimps stay a minimum of 3 months before they can have any contact with the other CCC chimps to prevent disease contamination. During their quarantine they undergo TB tests and viral checks to determine their health status. They sometimes are DNA tested to find their origin if it's not known.

Nana and Laurence

Female, approximate DOB 1987 and Laura born July 1999

Nana as well as Lottie and Alfonse were part of the chimps rescued when she was young by the Swiss woman. She is now an adult female who gave birth to a little girl, named Laurence, in July 1999. She was very submissive before the birth, but she is now a little more affirmative. Her position in the group is well established and she very often breaks up fights among the males, although she is not the most dominant one. She's very comfortable in the forest as well. She has a very mellow temperament but can get really angry if she cannot get what she wants.

Nanou

Female, approximate DOB 1996

Nelson

Male, approximate DOB mid 2004

Nelson had been living in captivity in amilitary house in Faranah for at least 6 months. He was first sighting during the summer but lack of space at the CCC made his confiscation impossible at the time. The director went for a status evaluation and found him in terrible condition. The military owner had refused to give him up, so pressure was put on the owner through senior military officials and he agreed to give him up a week later. Nelson was very skinny and malnourished. He had lost most of his hair and was really scared of humans. It took him weeks to be comfortable with people at the CCC. He’s now a healthy, lively little chimp. He’s very handsome and loves to pose for the camera!

Nimba

Female, DOB 2001

     Nimba makes all the volunteers and keepers laugh at the CCC. She loves to give hugs and kisses and can be very sweet but she also loves to play and get very dirty. She has the very popular nickname of Nimbalette which in english is a sweet way of calling her Miss Piggy.

Oga

Female, DOB 2001

We were very lucky to get Oga. Last year, we got a tip from a Peace Corp volunteer living close to Faranah that there was a chimp in Mamou (a city half way between Conakry and Faranah). As soon as logistically possible, the director went to the place where that chimpanzee was being kept but couldn't find him or the owner. The information concerning that chimp was that the guardian had sold the chimpanzee. 1 month later, a woman living in Conakry who knew about the center got in touch with me to explain that her husband had brought a baby chimpanzee back from Mamou, where he works all week, the past weekend. She wanted the Center to take him. Unfortunately at that time, the Center didn't have room for him in quarrantine and the new cage wasn't built yet. She kept him for over a month when we finally brought him up to Somoria.

Paco

Male, approximate DOB beginning 2001

The wildlife officials seized Paco in Conakry on June 29th 2003. A man in the Guinean military came to the wildlife offices saying he had a chimp he wanted to register. Mme Sagno, the director counterpart, who’s also the director for wildlife, told him to come the next day with the chimp. When the military man came with the chimp, they confiscated the chimp and the man was fined. Paco was brought to the CCC several days later. He was very anemic and had at least 6 preeminent pellets. A pellet had pierced his left eye. We’ve removed 4 pellets but the 2 others are too deep to do it without massive surgery. The director has also decided to leave the pellet in his eye. An ophthalmologist might be brought in and he’ll then remove the eye.

Panza

Panza arrived at the CCC in September 2006. He had been bought by a South African man who wanted to “save” him. The CCC accepted him despite this but made the owner pay a thousand dollarsfor his up keeping. Panza means big belly in Spanish and his name is a perfect fit! He’s not very humanized and despite his young age on arrival he has fitted into the nursery group very easily.

Rappa

Male, approximate DOB 1997

Rappa comes from the Parc National du Haut Niger, a national park in Guinea, West Africa, in which the CCC is located. A hunter, who lived in the village, where the Parc headquarters are located, killed his mom. He was seized at the beginning of 1998. He was really young at the time, but was adopted quite easily by the youngster group. The oldest female and male of this group at the time adopted him as a stepson. He used to be the baby of the group and the CCC staff favored him a little bit. As you can see from his more recent photo this is no longer the case!

Robert

Male, approximate DOB 1986

Robert had different owners before he came to the CCC. At the time of his rescue, he was chained by his neck in a Frenchman's backyard. Robert was dropped off in front of the home of the current director of the CCC in March 1996. The neighbor of the Frenchman felt sorry for Robert and brought him to the director's house and left him in front of the gate with a note. According to the note, Robert had drunk dry bleach three days earlier and was dying. He hadn't had anything to drink, eat, nor had he slept for three days. He was about nine years old and weighed only 14 kg. His chances of recovery were slim, but after long sleepless nights of intensive care he started to improve. He was introduced to the group in July 1997. He is now a very big, healthy male and the dominant male of the CCC chimpanzee group.

Rocky

Male, approximate DOB end of 1998

Rocky was relinquished to the CCC in June 2000. He was living in a German expatriate's backyard. Rocky has the same syndrome as Mike. He was pretty difficult to manage in quarantine but turned out to be a real frightened chimp when introduced to the youngster group. He was quarantined with a female his age, Awele, who arrived a couple of months earlier. Rocky is now fairly well integrated although the other chimps. He is a very handsome chimp and makes the funniest faces.

Shelly

Female, approximate DOB 2005

In the summer of 2006 Shelly came to the center with Charley and lived at the nursery through 2006. She enjoyed being the big sister to the other nursery chimps but is now with the Quarantine. Shelly has a very sweet and calm disposition that all the keepers and volunteers adore.

Sita

Female, DOB 04/00

She was seized mid-July 2002, from a hotel in Conakry where she was living in a very small cage. The hotel has had her for a year or so. They rescued her after she was beaten almost to death by the guard of the house next to the hotel. What probably happened is that she was bought by an expatriat family to be a pet. This family left and they left Sita with the guard. Once the family left the guard, for commodity or to eat her, he decided to kill her. The hotel neighbor being next door heard her cry and rescued her. She had very bad head injuries inflicted by a machette (cutlass). She still has problems with her left eye because of these injuries. She adapted very
quickly and loves Nimba.

Vévé

Female, DOB 01/03

Tatiana Humle, a chimpanzee researcher working at the Bossou chimpanzee research site near N'zerekore, seized Vévé in February 2004. The CCC director, Estelle, had gone to visit thet center and view their famous wild chimpanzee group. Estelle flew from Conakry to N'zerekore and on her way back came across Vévé in her guardian's arm. She tried to convince him to donate her to the center. No luck! She then went to see the wildlife authority, but it was a day off! The mayor was in so she met with him in his office but time was short and she had to leave to catch her plane. Unfortunately she had to leave Vévé behind. As soon as Estelle arrived in Conakry, she got in touch with Tatiana and asked her to confiscate the chimpanzee on her next trip to N'zerekore, that was scheduled for a couple of days later. Tatiana contacted the mayor, who had assured Estelle of his collaboration, and together, Tatiana and the mayor went to see the neighbor chief. The three of them, after hours of threats and negotiation, finally seized her. Tatiana flew into Conakry the same day with the baby that she had name Vévé, sleeping on her lap.

Wodo

Male, approximate DOB beginning of 2004

Wodo was donated by an Australian couple in August 2005 who had him confiscated 3 months before. They had come to the center to visit 6 months prior to his confiscation and had been informed about the orphan chimpanzee's problem. Wodo was for sale in the village where they worked, and the Australian couple, Andrew Reid and his wife, had him confiscated in order to bring him to us. Knowing our financial difficulties, he organized a fund raiser and collected $5,000 that he donated to the center when he donated Wodo. Wodo was really shy towards people at first, and giving him medicine was pretty difficult! He got more trusting in time. Oga is a very good surrogate “father” to him. Unfortunately, in September, he got one of his toes stuck in the cage door and he lost the tip of it. He was on antibiotics for almost a month, but he had recovered very well from the wound.