| Katchka
Katchka
 Kachka had been kept as a pet in a small cage behind the house of a priest. As you may remember, Tati, whom we rescued last Spring, was also kept by a priest. Our rescue of Tati, even after a great deal of negotiations and education, required armed escort. Perhaps our efforts for Tati made a difference for Katchka as the priest willingly released her to Sanaga-Yong Center in late November.
When she arrived at the Sanaga-Yong Center she reached out her little hand for reassurance and it was easily enveloped by her caregiver's hand. She looked clean and physically healthy but also scared and lonely. She may have escaped the physical abuse common when primates are kept as "pets", but she endured years of isolation and deprivation, losing her childhood to captivity.
 At Sanaga-Yong Center Katchka has been excited about her new environment. On her first day she was fascinated by the woodchips on the floor, and delightfully threw them over herself, made a little nest, then tried to bury herself under them. She was a whirlwind of energy; swinging all over the enclosure, testing out the hammock, climbing the tree branches that were put in the enclosure, and jumping on and off the platform. After a while she calmed down, and accepted some food although she was reluctant to hold the fruit herself, perhaps afraid from past experiences. As darkness descended, she climbed up to the sleeping hammock and curled into a ball and remained sound asleep throughout the night. Katchka’s enclosure is adjacent to the one where Tati and Amigo live. She is playing and interacting with them through the enclosure mesh and slowly becoming more comfortable with her chimpanzee companions.
Update: Spring 2007~ Jimi, Katchka, Tati and Amigo were integrated and now live together, as a family.
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