Gnala

Est. Birth December 2013

Gnala found safe haven at Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in December 2014, when she was not quite a year old. An affluent man had purchased the baby as a “pet” from a poacher who had killed her mother to supply the illegal bushmeat trade. By chance, a Sanaga-Yong staff member discovered that the man was holding Gnala and brought her to the attention of authorities, who facilitated her transfer. Authorities did not take legal action against the man, who insisted that purchasing the baby was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.

Gnala was immediately joined with baby Kimbang, and for two years they learned and grew together under the loving supervision of human caregivers. In May 2017, they were introduced to adult female Jantan, who soon adopted Gnala as her baby. They currently live happily in a temporary integration enclosure complex. In 2018, Gnala, Kimbang and Jantan will be integrated with three other chimpanzees within a new forested enclosure being built just for them.