Jacky (male, estimated birth year 1965) is the eldest chimpanzee at Sanaga-Yong and with that, the most respected and revered. Here he is finishing a bâton, a Cameroonian staple made from fermented cassava dough. Our staff purchases these weekly from local villagers who make special batches for our chimps. They serve as a compliment to the chimps' diet, which mainly consists of locally grown vegetables and fruits. Video courtesy of assistant manager Yannis Baladi #chimpsanctuary #chimpsarenotpet

📣 SOUND ON to experience the excitement! 📣 Jacky's group receives a surprise outside breakfast on a recent morning at Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue. Usually the chimps eat their first meal of the day inside their sleeping chambers, but our veterinary team needed to complete a wellness exam on a chimp in their group, so in order to set things up for success, our caregivers served breakfast at various "windows" along the enclosure perimeter. Chimps featured: Stanley & Jacky at the window, Gabby

The chimpanzees at Sanaga-Yong spend lots of time grooming one another inside their forested enclosures! This behavior is such a vital part of chimp life - it is used to build and maintain friendships, conflict resolution and of course to remove dirt & tend to wounds. Shy (left) and Daniel (right) are both male and in their mid-late teens. They are great friends who grew up together at the sanctuary after arriving as toddlers confiscated by Cameroon authorities. They were each kept as illegal pe