Friday Update

We don't know exactly what infant chimpanzee Friday went through before he was brought to Ape Action Africa. When he arrived last year, scars on his waist showed he'd spent some of his young life tied up, and he had broken front teeth which may have been the result of abuse, malnutrition or an accident. Apart from these signs of past trauma, Friday was in good health and after completing his quarantine, he happily settled into our infant chimpanzee group.

Friday in 2019. Image © Ape Action Africa / Alex Benitez

Friday bonded well with his new chimp family and made a new friend when infant gorilla Mbailassem temporarily joined the group earlier this year. 

Recently the team noticed that Friday appeared to be suffering from some pain in one of his wrists. After the vet team was called in, Dr. Julieta operated on Friday and removed two bullets from his body - a stark reminder of the horror that our rescued orphans experienced when they were taken from the wild.

Friday's mother and, almost certainly, other members of his family were killed for bushmeat. Logging of forest areas, as well as causing habitat loss for endangered apes and monkeys, means that hunters are given easy access to the forest when logging companies build roads. To help to protect Cameroon's remaining wild chimpanzees and gorillas, please sign Greenpeace Africa's petition asking the President of Cameroon to cancel plans for logging in Ebo Forest, a haven for many species and a biodiversity hotspot. Many thanks to all those who have already signed. 

Friday has recovered well from his surgery, and is already back in the forest playing and climbing with Sandie, Florence and Mbailassem. If you'd like to contribute to Friday's care, please visit our adoption page. Or you can donate £3 which can pay for Friday's milk for a day.