Bouamir

Subspecies to be determined pending testing
Estimated Birth – September 2018

In June 2019, Cameroon authorities confiscated 10-month-old Bouamir (pronounced Bwa-meer) from a village in the Dja Reserve, a designated protected area in Southeast Cameroon, still under heavy pressure from poachers. The poachers who killed her mother had left her in the village several weeks earlier. The rope that was used to restrain her in the village had cut into her waist leaving open wounds.

At the sanctuary, the wounds healed quickly, and she gained weight, enthusiastically drinking baby milk formula and eating fresh fruits peeled and cut into small pieces by her human caregivers. Under the staff’s loving supervision, Bouamir also gained strength and confidence as she explored the environment.

Soon she was introduced to three-year-old Tiki, who also needed a playmate. Today, the two of them, Bouamir and Tiki, spend their days happily playing in the forest with their caregivers. When Bouamir is about three years old, she’ll be integrated into a social group of older chimpanzees. While caregivers will always be in her life, they’ll become less important as she begins to receive the comfort and reassurance she needs from other chimpanzees. This transition is always bittersweet for caregivers, but it will assure that our little Bouamir will have a long, happy life at Sanaga-Yong.