CHANCE: AN INSPIRATION AND A JOY
Chance is a true miracle. Her story is an example of how one’s spirit can overcome great tragedy, trauma and abuse to soar and embrace life and love. LCRP received a report from an anonymous source that someone was keeping and attempting to sell a young chimpanzee in a nearby town. LCRP and wildlife authorities organized a team to investigate.
After searching long and hard and a lot of worry we wouldn’t find her, someone on our team spotted Chance hidden in the back corner of a shop in a cardboard box. Seeing Chance for the first time was shocking. She was in terrible condition and exhibiting stereotypical rocking behavior caused by stress and trauma. Her head was extremely swollen, filled with fluid. She was greatly underweight and her legs were atrophied due to her confinement in the box with no chance for movement or exercise.
The humans keeping her said she was too young to walk or eat solid foods and were feeding her cornmeal. Well, Chance had a different story to tell. When we got her to LCRP’s sanctuary we could see that she was certainly old enough to walk, move, climb and eat all kinds of food. She’d simply been deprived of all of these opportunities by her human captors. Chance was examined by a pediatric neurologist who felt the fluid in her head was due to blunt force trauma rather than a congenital cause. While her condition was still terrible and sad, we were relieved that there was a ‘chance’ she’d recover and thrive. And so she did. Over days and weeks, Chance’s swelling went down, her eating went up and she began to move about more and more with each passing day.
Her indomitable spirit was apparent immediately. This little girl wanted to live and she was committed to getting better and surviving! Today Chance is physically ‘perfect’ with no signs of her injury except a hidden indentation in her skull. She is full of life and joy and love. Her eyes shine bright. She is playful and active and has a very contagious laugh! She is our miracle!
After searching long and hard and a lot of worry we wouldn’t find her, someone on our team spotted Chance hidden in the back corner of a shop in a cardboard box. Seeing Chance for the first time was shocking. She was in terrible condition and exhibiting stereotypical rocking behavior caused by stress and trauma. Her head was extremely swollen, filled with fluid. She was greatly underweight and her legs were atrophied due to her confinement in the box with no chance for movement or exercise.
The humans keeping her said she was too young to walk or eat solid foods and were feeding her cornmeal. Well, Chance had a different story to tell. When we got her to LCRP’s sanctuary we could see that she was certainly old enough to walk, move, climb and eat all kinds of food. She’d simply been deprived of all of these opportunities by her human captors. Chance was examined by a pediatric neurologist who felt the fluid in her head was due to blunt force trauma rather than a congenital cause. While her condition was still terrible and sad, we were relieved that there was a ‘chance’ she’d recover and thrive. And so she did. Over days and weeks, Chance’s swelling went down, her eating went up and she began to move about more and more with each passing day.
Her indomitable spirit was apparent immediately. This little girl wanted to live and she was committed to getting better and surviving! Today Chance is physically ‘perfect’ with no signs of her injury except a hidden indentation in her skull. She is full of life and joy and love. Her eyes shine bright. She is playful and active and has a very contagious laugh! She is our miracle!
When new chimpanzees arrive they are physically and emotionally traumatized. Our veterinary director does a full health check and treats them as needed. Some little ones arrive with broken limbs and shrapnel, and often have deep cuts due to ropes and chains that were used to restrict them while they were held captive. They are also given around the clock TLC, as nurturing and unconditional love is the most important part of their recovery. Feeding the chimps is a challenge. In the wild, chimpanzees eat over 200 different types of food! At LCRP, while we can’t replicate their diet exactly, we work hard to provide the chimps with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. Little ones receive baby cereal multiple times a day and all the chimps get morning and evening cereal to ensure the get daily boosts of all the right vitamins and minerals.
