Yoko
Yoko
Est. Birth January 2004
In December 2005, two-year-old Yoko was rescued from a village near the town of Nanga Eboko. An employee of Sanaga-Yong was visiting relatives in the village when he was informed of two illegally held babies, and it was later discovered there was a third. Dr. Sheri Speede worked with the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife to coordinate a team of two law officers from the city of Yaoundé to assist local authorities in confiscating the three chimpanzees. Yoko and a younger baby, Baati, were brought to Sanaga-Yong, while the third baby went to the sanctuary of our friends at Ape Action Africa.
The Sanaga-Yong team found Yoko tethered by his waist to a wall behind a village house. Suffering from watery diarrhea and a respiratory infection, he was sad, emaciated and dehydrated. He had been tied behind the house for a year.
Once at the sanctuary, Yoko received medical care and good nutrition, which helped him regain his physical health. After a few weeks he was integrated with two other chimpanzee infants, Avery (Ava) and Zachary. Yoko became attached to his adopted siblings and his loving caregiver Marie, but for several months he still seemed sad. Gradually over a few years, as he was introduced to other chimpanzees, he became more consistently joyful.
Today, young adult Yoko lives with twelve other adult chimpanzees in an enclosure complex that includes 7.5 acres. He is not dominant in his social group and generally avoids conflict, but he is one of the sweetest, most playful male chimpanzees at the sanctuary.