World Chimpanzee Day
We are in their debt
14 July 2023
From the perspective of an Aiderbichler
(written by Gisela Pschenitschnig)
Chimpanzees fascinate us humans. Perhaps also because around 98% of the DNA of chimpanzees and humans is identical. Chimpanzees can laugh, giggle, kiss and hold each other’s hands. The other person recognises their feelings through their facial expressions. Chimpanzees can pretend, they are empathic, they become brutal when it comes to defending their territory. Chimpanzees use heavy stones,to crack nuts,they sharpen spears with their teeth. They can use them to defend themselves or hunt. Orphaned chimpanzees are raised by unrelated chimpanzees,chimpanzee children have an intimate relationship with their mother and learn everything from her.
The moral challenges of our civilisation:
Guilt, responsibility and reparation
Every year, World Chimpanzee Day is held to commemorate the fact that the history of mankind began almost seven million years ago in the forests of Africa, through the ape, from which upright walking humans eventually evolved. Research and science keep apes in animal testing laboratories to research drugs, conduct behavioural research, etc.
In the east of Austria is one of the most special places in the world. This is where the moral challenges of our civilisation meet: guilt, responsibility and reparation. In a former safari park, hermetically sealed off from the rest of the world, lived 40 chimpanzees from the former Immuno experimental laboratory. They had been infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses for years. Traumatised, disturbed and highly aggressive, they lived in the monkey houses of the safari park in Gänserndorf for years after the research.
40 chimpanzees, kept individually in narrow mesh cages, were used as test animals for the development of HIV, hepatitis and flu vaccines. The procedures were a daily ordeal for the animals. Anaesthetised, infected with viruses and always isolated – unimaginable.
The ex-lab monkeys of Gut Aiderbichl
More than 15 years ago, Michael Aufhauser, founder of Gut Aiderbichl, took a pioneering step and saved the lives of the great apes that had come from the Immuno research centre. They had endured physical and mental torment, especially those that had been captured as baby apes in the forests. The animals had witnessed their mothers and family members being killed so that they, the young monkeys, could be captured.
Since 2011, the ex-lab monkeys have been able to move from the monkey houses to the outdoor enclosures. These enclosures have become the little freedom and nature created for them.
Star,went into research at the age of 8 and was infected with hepatitis C and the HIV virus. Today she stands proud and upright with a cherry branch in her enclosure. At over 50 years old, she is our oldest chimpanzee. Star was initially inaccessible, but today one of her best friends is Spätzle and Benjamin. It was Benjamin who lured Star out of her reserve and taught her to feel gentleness. Star shows this by grooming for a long time. She loves the outdoor facilities, which have made her an open, friendly and outgoing chimpanzee.
At the top of the tree in the outdoor area sits Bonnie. Bonnie is a shy chimpanzee, the leader of her group is Moritz and her comforter is Helene. Bonnie was born in 1982 in Freedom and then worked in diabetes research. She receives an insulin injection, which seems to have become a matter of course for her, and smaller portions of food throughout the day. This has meant consistent training, but Bonnie “plays”with, she has good levels and has gained weight. She has got into the habit of washing everything she eats beforehand.
Bonnie has gained in self-confidence and stays out of conflicts within her group. Moritz, who used to try to intimidate her, is now convinced of Bonnie’s strength,and has become agood friendto her. Bonnie loves the sun – she’s always the first oneto run outside, who runs outside and climbsher tree.
Monkeys observe each other in the group and they observe humans
Our chimpanzees prove that animals can think, that they observe and plan, that they fall in love and that they also need routine in their lives. For example, a rhasty, enjoyable picnicfor spätzle, Benjamin, Star and Denise always added. Picnicking together has become a ritual and takes place in the houses or in the outdoor enclosure. Behind this idyll hidesa lot of sensitivity, setbacks, patience and trust from the chimpanzees to their humans with the red T-shirt.
Chimpanzees judge their humans by sight, smell and voice. The inner peace of chimpanzees is slowly achieved through rest and routine. In the morning, the chimpanzees are called by name to collect their breakfast. Afterwards they play, some go to the outdoor enclosures, some do not. In the evening, the bedtime ritual begins. The chimpanzees spend hours preparing their sleeping area before the chimpanzee can enjoy a peaceful dream. They sleep for a long time, up to 11 hours. Like humans, there are morning grouches.
Working with the chimpanzees in Gänserndorf is a special challenge.
Renate Foidl and her team observe, feed, re-socialise, respect and love the chimpanzees. Renate in particular has become one of them:
“We are in their debt. They were torn away from their family and their natural environment and locked up. Resocialisation will never be complete because chimpanzees are intelligent and their brains work like humans: they don’t forget, they repress. For years, a human in a grey protective suit, with hair under a cap, mouth and nose hidden behind a protective mask, meant nothing good for the chimpanzees. The memories and pain suffered are deeply embedded in the animals’ brains and souls. Today, the chimpanzees know that the people in the red T-shirt only have good intentions for them.”
It can’t be told often enough: the story of the ex-lab monkeys.
Sincerely, Yours, Gisela.
Chimpanzees show us what it means to be human.
~ Jane Goodall
