Her name, "Wounda," means close to death — and that’s precisely the kind of odds that faced this chimpanzee when rescuers first found her.
Dr. Rebeca Atencia explains to Jane Goodall that, "She had a very serious illness — she was really bad [and] she lost weight."
The pictures themselves are difficult to even look at. It’s clear that Wounda wouldn’t have survived much longer without immediate help.
As the 15th chimpanzee to be released at the Jane Goodall Institute's Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo, this was a special treat for the founder of this wonderful sanctuary.
"This is a really exciting moment for me," says Goodall, waiting next to Wounda's crate just before she's released. "Now, she has a will to live, and here she is — about to come out into this paradise."
I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that chimpanzees are incredibly intelligent, but also very caring creatures, too. Did you catch that video of all the chimps hugging their caretaker? Or that study that proved chimps would totally cook if they had an oven nearby? (I’d bet they’d fair better than me in the kitchen, too.)
Of all the chimpanzee videos out there, though, this one touched my heart the most. I loved getting to see the joy on Goodall and Atencia’s faces when their work finally came to fruition — and Wounda got the chance to run free.
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Wounda's Journey from the Jane Goodall Institute on Vimeo.
