Chickaboo

Wild-caught from the forests of Africa, Chickaboo has experienced a life shaped by human intervention and rescue. Her exact birth date remains unknown, as is common with gorillas taken from their natural habitat before proper documentation could occur.

After being removed from the wild, she moved through multiple facilities before finding stability. The path led her through at least three different locations, with records showing a transfer in 2011 before her eventual placement at Mefou Primate Sanctuary.

Today she lives at Mefou, a facility dedicated to caring for primates who cannot return to the wild. As a western lowland gorilla, she belongs to a subspecies classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Fewer than 100,000 of her kind remain in the wild across central and western Africa.

Her story reflects the broader challenges facing her subspecies – habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal pet trade that removes young gorillas from their families. Sanctuaries like Mefou provide essential care for those who survive such ordeals but can never return home.