Below are excerpts from various stories and updates about Tati's rescue and his life at Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center:

Written March 2006

Tati before rescue-not able to touch the ground.

Very early during the morning of March 29, a delegation including armed guards from the Brigade Nationale de Controle of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) under order of the Minister, along with a veterinary technician and two vehicles from the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund (CWAF) and SYCRC's chief of staff Raymond Tchimisso conducted a forced seizure of Tati from the Roman Catholic priest who was holding him captive.

Tati is finally free of the shackle and chain around his neck.  He had been living on the limb of a tree for years in isolation ~ yesterday he walked around his temporary enclosure, lounged in the sun on the ground to eat his meals, and slept comfortably.  He has a long road ahead of him to heal the wounds of his captivity, but he is on his way.

THE ROAD TO RESCUE 
 
After learning about Tati, Sanaga-Yong staff members met with the priest three times, and Dr. Speede met with the priest and with his boss, the archbishop of the church.  The priest was keeping Tati illegally on church property and Dr. Speede, acting diplomatically and with careful regard to cultural and political nuances, hoped to convince them to release Tati to a much better life.  She was met with a great deal of resistance and defiance, the priest refusing to abide by Cameroon law and demanding that Dr. Speede pay him for Tati, which also would have been illegal.
 
The strong influence of the catholic church generated fear and a reluctance to move forward in the confiscation of Tati, although he was being held in blatant violation of the wildlife protection regulation.  The case demonstrated the precarious position of political and legal powers when weighed against social and religious forces.  
 
During several weeks, much time was spent traveling to meetings with officials, writing and delivering formal requests for enforcement of the law and the confiscation of Tati, and collaborating with other NGO’s.  Following a great deal of collaborative work on the part of Dr. Speede with Avi and Talila Sivan, directors of CWAF, Ofir Drory of the Last Great Ape Organization and MINFOF, Tati is finally released from the miserable life of captivity.  

AT SANAGA-YONG 
In accordance with veterinary protocol to ensure the safety of all the chimpanzees at SYCRC, Tati will live in quarantine for three months.  During this time he has a comfortable shelter for sleeping and an enclosure where he was be able to explore and climb.  After years of isolation, living, eating and sleeping on the limb of a tree, Tati is already experiencing dramatic life changes made possible in large part by our supporters' invaluable contributions which make our work in Cameroon a reality. 
 
Tati’s recovery will be slow.  He has missed so much in life and has been physically and emotionally scarred.  He most likely witnessed the killing of his mother and then endured more than seven years without the comfort and companionship of other chimpanzees.  Integration into a family unit for an adolescent chimpanzee like Tati can often present challenges, but the expert staff at Sanaga-Yong will do everything they can to ensure Tati’s success. Like all residents at Sanaga-Yong, Tati will have an opportunity to become part of a social group, create friendships, develop his individuality, and move freely through the forest. 

Written July 2006:

Tati is a mild-mannered adolescent who approaches situations with great caution.  Having been kept in isolation most of his life with contact limited to human primates, Tati demonstrates classic adjustment challenges for chimpanzees who are "humanized" as a "pet" or forced to live in isolation and deprivation of normal environmental and social needs.   

In simple terms, he sadly does not know fully how to be a chimpanzee.  As an adolescent he will have a long adjustment but his adoptive family will help a great deal.

Here is an excerpt from volunteer caregiver, Kat: 
...It was perhaps because Tati’s only recent interactions were with humans that he appeared somewhat confused, or perhaps dismayed when his new neighbor approached (recently rescued chimpanzee, Amigo).  Tati really seemed vexed by Amigo’s chimp-like behavior, and constantly looked to us – the ‘fellow humans’ for interaction. By all rights it was probably the first chimp play-face or vocalizations that Tati may have seen or heard for a long while. Slowly however – with some gentle coaxing from us, not so gentle from Amigo – Tati’s character has finally come through. It seems like each day we see a little bit more personality emerging, like his leap-frog bounce he does as an excited greeting whenever he sees us coming, to which he’s recently added a very enthusiastic grunt if peanuts are on the menu. There also seems to be a bit of a cheeky side creeping through, where a quick hand-clap signifies he is in need of some attention. 

The best news for Tati however is most definitely his release

Amigo

into his newly finished enclosure. When we first opened the door for him he came rushing out jumping and screaming, then suddenly as if all the space and freedom became a little too much he quickly 
returned to the small enclosure and pulled the door shut behind him. It took a few days but Tati became comfortable in the large enclosure, playing and climbing. In fact, he’s already put on a pretty impressive show for the camera, posing thoughtfully up in a tree, doing cartwheels and lying around in the grass.  

We hope that when he’s really feeling more settled, Tati will start to seek less comfort and interaction from us, and more from Amigo as their bond starts to develop. With his ever-emerging confidence and the reappearance of some of the hair he’d previously pulled out, probably through boredom and frustration, he is on his way.

Written October 2006
As is the wonder with the amazing chimpanzees at Sanaga-Yong Center,  Tati and Amigo have shown resilience, determination and a will to survive.  Tati and Amigo, a slightly older chimpanzee rescued only days after Tati, are adjusting well and have begun the long road to re-learning all the intricacies of being a chimpanzee. 

Tati and Amigo were officially integrated July 31 after living in adjoining enclosures for three months, during which time they were able to get to know one another, play and groom through the mesh barrier, and adjust to their new situation.  Neither of these individuals understood the nuances of social behavior and communication for chimpanzees.  Life in captivity robbed each of them of the opportunity to learn and grow as they would have in the wild.  They are figuring things out though, relying on their instincts and learning from each other.

As is the fate with many orphaned chimpanzees,Tati and Amigo were kept as “pets” when they were taken from the forest. Tati was held in a neck chain on a tree limb and Amigo in a box cage in a backyard.  Until they were too old and too strong to handle, they had been kept as a "pet" with human families.  As is the case with all primates (and wild animals), when they outgrow the cute and cuddlly stage, chains, cages and abuse become their reality. Tati and Amigo, as well as others at Sanaga-Yong Center, endured years of agonizing boredom, isolated and deprived of social interaction with their own species.

Adolescents like Tati and Amigo have an especially difficult time adjusting to life with chimpanzees.  They are faced with fear and anxiety caused by isolation and abuse and have to learn how to undo the immeasurable affects of living directly with humans.  At Sanaga-Yong Center, they are given an opportunity to be the individual they may have become had they never been stolen from the wild. 

As the logging industry continues to cut roads into the forests there is increased access for bushmeat poachers to reach what once was remote wildlands.  The impact on great apes (and other wildlife) is devastating. These two powerful, destructive forces feed one another like wind feeds a fire. The trade in bushmeat is illegal but while the demand persists, the pressure on remaining wild chimpanzees will continue and their future is in peril.

IDA-Africa's extensive public education and sensitization campaign helps to raise awareness of the laws against holding, selling or killing great apes, of the plight of the remaining wild apes.  Our efforts are helping to change attitudes and behaviors through school and community education programs, a country-wide radio campaign, and general outreach and participation in community events.  Read more here.

Learn about the Primates Not Pets; Captive Primate Safety Act and bushmeat.

Update:  Spring 2007~ Jimi, Katchka, Tati and Amigo were integrated and now live together, as a family.

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