Kiki
Kiki
Est. Birth Year 1984
In the Spring of 1999, Dr. Sheri Speede discovered Kiki Jackson and a female companion in a small concrete cell at a hotel in the coastal town of Kribi, Cameroon. Both chimpanzees were adults and estimated to be about fifteen years old at that time. Kiki and his companion were being fed regularly, and despite their dismal living conditions, were in better health than two other adults who were next in line to be taken to the sanctuary. Sheri made a promise to rescue Kiki and his friend as soon as possible.
The next opportunity for a Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue representative to visit Kiki came in November 1999 and what she found was heartbreaking. The person who had been feeding the chimpanzees had left in September, and no replacement had been hired. Kiki’s friend had starved to death. Kiki, horribly emaciated and barely alive, had refused to let anyone remove her body from the filthy concrete cage for days.
Upon arriving at the sanctuary, his sweet, gentle disposition made him a favorite of the staff. Exploring his large forested enclosure, after enduring such strict confinement for so many years, brought Kiki a lot of happiness. He was soon introduced to a group of juvenile chimpanzees, with whom he loved to play. Today, the juveniles of his group are all grown-up, but Kiki is still the dominant one and still loves to laugh and play.