On Oct 20th three chimpanzees escaped from our primate rescue centre in Spain. Two of the escapees Marco and Charly, were located and taken back to their enclosure safely. However, sadly Pancho was shot dead by the Catalan police very near the sanctuary. We are saddened and disappointed by their ignorance in dealing with this situation. They mercilessly shot Pancho and killed him for no good reason. According to many witnesses including two of our volunteers, Pancho was calm and showed no aggression. In fact our vet darted him just minutes before his death; the police didn’t even wait for the anaesthesia to take effect despite pleas from our volunteers that there was no danger to the public. We are also sickened by the Spanish media who have reported that Pancho exhibited aggressive behaviour which is completely erroneous. Pancho was a gentle chimp and loved by everyone who knew him. He wasn’t interested in confrontation or fights and he was always well behaved with his caregivers. He was obsessed by food because before his rescue from the entertainment industry where he was starved to make him compliant. We will miss our friend and we are shocked and disappointed that his life was taken so prematurely and unnecessarily. We would want to thank everyone who have given us their support, especially journalists in Spain who have helped us put forward the reality of Pancho’s death.
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