A visit to heaven

PARANÁ SANCTUARY

She comes slowly, as she was dragging from the back of the enclosure. Anita and Vânia call her and I stay far away. Katai does not like men and vomits at them by distance. Some men must have done something very bad to her… Katai arrives at the fence, Anita offers her a treat and she tries to touch both. She gave back to them so that Vânia, who is knowing her for the first time, do “grooming” in her. This lonely orangutan (her partner died at the zoo) is headstrong. Milan spent money and tons of steel to build her enclosure, which is 12 meters high and has a tree as tall as that inside it. It has a bedroom with heating, but she does not enter in it – she only does when there is a heavy rain with thunders and lightning.

Orangutans are introspective; you will never know what they are thinking. This will happen only if you know them very well. Katai comes back to her favorite are in the enclosure and covers herself, letting only her eyes appearing. At her side, to agitate the environment, a group of spider monkeys jumps from one branch to another.

Aroung 50 meters far from this point, Caique calls me. He is the one of the most well behaved chimpanzee that I know. He offers me his arm and I do the same with him. Caique will never pull you. Dinho arrives and today he is like a “little devil”, disturbs the conversation I am having with Caique, who backs up not to hurt Dinho, almost a teenager. I met him when he was a baby and was taken out former Garcia Circus. Dinho takes his time to calm down, throws sand, grass and wants that people dedicate full attention to him.

Nearby is Lucas, also rescued by Milan from the same circus when he saw him walking on two feet among the circus`s people, as he was a member of the team. He is calm and continues to enjoy walking on two feet. But Dinho does not allow him to get near us.

At this time Johnny arrives, fat, agitated, the first chimpanzee of this sanctuary, brother of Guga and Luke, who are at Sorocaba, and of Tota, who has just arrived. All of them were born in Goiania and, taking different ways after being taken out their mother, they arrive at our sanctuaries. Johnny knows me very well and I talk to him for a while. And Dinho insists on interfere in our conversation.

I continue my visit and Carol arrived. She is a female version of Lucas, very beautiful and thin, almost humans. She cries so we stop everything to talk to her. She is not in treats, she wants caress, contact and feeling, which she has a lot. On the other side of the street, André, from the group called “Paulistas” – all of them came from Garcia Circus, show his growing human influence, walking on two feet and greeting as a boy..

I keep on walking and meet Tota through the bulletproof glass. She looks at me with curiosity and with no aggression. I know that look already and put my mind to work. Then I realize: I am looking at Guga and Luke in her face. She is the lost sister, among the lots of males born at Goiania zoo (which is already closed).

Coming back I see a happy family: Lucy, Noelzinho and his adoptive father, Yuri – who is retired after working for humans in the absurd “Death Globe” and found a family in the sanctuary, whom he did not hesitate to adopt.

During my visit to the facilities of the sanctuary that hosts primates and hundreds of animals in more than 10 bushels and is sponsored by Anami Institute, Anita and Milan accomplish their daily mission of visit every guest and take them a treat, like soup, yogurts or some sweets.

The couple built a powerful business in Paraná – Providência Group, which had been sold so them could dedicate their lives to what they enjoy the most, supporter by their family and a group of employees that is with them for many years: taking care of 22 chimpanzees and dozens of other animals who were rescued, one by one, from human insanity.

Dr. Pedro A. Ynterian
President GAP Project International