| TV Vet Scott Miller joins us to rescue Africa |
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| Written by Dr. Lorraine Docherty |
| Wednesday, 03 June 2009 00:00 |
 Africa the chimpanzee arrives at MONA Sanctuary in her special transport crate, carried by Dr. Scott Miller and Olga FeliuTV vet Dr. Scott Miller joined us to rescue Africa from a home in Gran Canaria. Scott Miller said “It was awful to see how she had been living for the last 12 years. She had been confined in a dilapidated house and never allowed outside, out of fear that the authorities might discover her. I feel privileged to be able to help Africa get to the sanctuary where she will meet other chimps and get the chance to be a chimp again.” Africa had already shown some aggression towards a family member so we were keen to get her out before the unthinkable happened. Chimpanzees of this age are usually very unpredictable and they can be dangerous. It is like having a ticking time bomb in your living room. We all are aware of Travis a pet chimp in the US who was shot dead after attacking a woman. Is this not evidence enough that chimps don’t make good pets?  Africa at the MONA SanctuaryAfrica’s rescue went very well but it took 24 hours to get her to the sanctuary because there were no direct cargo flights from Gran Canaria to Girona where the sanctuary is located. The team were exhausted when they arrived at the sanctuary but Africa had remained calm in the crate through -out the journey and was in good spirits when she arrived to her new home. Africa is now at the sanctuary and she is settling in very well. She had a severe skin condition covering her head and the top of her shoulders. It is being treated with aloe vera cream every day to moisture the dry cracked skin and as you can see from the photo there has been a huge improvement in such a short space of time. Olga Feliu said: “We are giving her lots of attention and TLC which she will need for a while until she is confident enough to meet the other chimps. Overall she is a calm and confident individual and we are certain that she will be integrated very soon.” . If you would like to sponsor Africa or help support MONA-UK’s work, please donate by clicking on www.justgiving.com/mona-uk-rescueafrica or check out their website at www.MONA-UK.org |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 July 2009 12:48 |
