GAIA: A VIVACIOUS RASCAL
Gaia was the youngest chimpanzee infant ever to come to Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection. She was so young that she didn't have any teeth and was still unable to grasp or control any of her movements. She is also the youngest infant for whom we’ve ever cared.
We were terrified that Gaia wouldn’t survive those first weeks, months and to this day everyone at LCRP is protective of this little, now big, girl. Gaia is named after LCRP founder Jenny Desmond’s mom who passed away on the same date (a few years earlier) that Gaia arrived. She changed the feeling of that date forever. It's now a day to celebrate rather than only to mourn. Gaia is absolutely stunning with her dark features and beautiful eyes.
Starting out as such a tiny little person has not stopped Gaia from growing into a strong, vivacious, rascal. While she took much, much longer to achieve milestones than the other chimps, once she did, she was suddenly climbing everywhere - confident and curious. She is also extremely active girl and hard to keep up with all day.
Gaia was turned in to a colleague in a remote part of Liberia – we were very relieved when she finally arrived in our hands. She has been a joy ever since. She is a handful but fiercely loved by all. Gaia is still in our youngest group but is nearly reaching the size of some of our older toddlers! She spends her days climbing, resting, eating, playing and being cuddled. She is still at an age where she would be with her chimpanzee mother at all times so is with a caregiver day and night along with her chimpanzee brothers and sisters. We look forward to watching her continue to grow and thrive.
We were terrified that Gaia wouldn’t survive those first weeks, months and to this day everyone at LCRP is protective of this little, now big, girl. Gaia is named after LCRP founder Jenny Desmond’s mom who passed away on the same date (a few years earlier) that Gaia arrived. She changed the feeling of that date forever. It's now a day to celebrate rather than only to mourn. Gaia is absolutely stunning with her dark features and beautiful eyes.
Starting out as such a tiny little person has not stopped Gaia from growing into a strong, vivacious, rascal. While she took much, much longer to achieve milestones than the other chimps, once she did, she was suddenly climbing everywhere - confident and curious. She is also extremely active girl and hard to keep up with all day.
Gaia was turned in to a colleague in a remote part of Liberia – we were very relieved when she finally arrived in our hands. She has been a joy ever since. She is a handful but fiercely loved by all. Gaia is still in our youngest group but is nearly reaching the size of some of our older toddlers! She spends her days climbing, resting, eating, playing and being cuddled. She is still at an age where she would be with her chimpanzee mother at all times so is with a caregiver day and night along with her chimpanzee brothers and sisters. We look forward to watching her continue to grow and thrive.
ADOPTION FEE: $50Your adoption fee helps cover Gaia's food, shelter and veterinary care.
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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.
