NELSPRUIT – One of the world’s most famous toddlers – Thabu – the chimpanzee born in captivity, is not yet old enough to receive visitors.
His caregivers, Marc and Phillip Cronje, explain this is why visitors to Chimp Eden haven’t even been able to catch a glimpse of the little one.
The newspaper visited Thabu by invitation of the Cronjes, who said they had been inundated with questions by visitors about why he was not yet on view at the sanctuary. He is now one year and two months old. “Although he’s a lot more mobile, it is not yet safe for him to be with the larger chimps.”
Marc added they wanted to give him the very best chance of surviving his integration with them. He said they had been receiving advice from zoos and sanctuaries worldwide on when to do this.
“They all advised us not to rush it, and to wait until he was big enough as there had been incidents of chimps killing a newcomer.”
Philip stated that they also didn’t want to put the emotional stress of visitors on his mother, Nina, and there was also the possibility that he could be susceptible to illnesses.
“We just want to do what is best for Thabu and Nina right now.”
Regarding his progress, he stated that the toddler was running and climbing and becoming a lot more cheeky. “He now sneakily takes food from his mom and the keepers,” Marc joked.
He added that the day April 3, on which Lowvelder visited Thabu, was the 80th birthday of chimpanzee expert, anthropologist and UN Messenger of Peace, Jane Goodall.
Her landmark primate research began in 1960, when in her mid-20s she moved to Tanzania and began studying the behaviour of chimpanzees. Her work helped revolutionise the world’s understanding of the human being’s closest living relatives
