East Midlands Airport (EMA) played a vital part in bringing a chimpanzee rescued from poachers to its long-term home in Dorset’s acclaimed Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre.
Chocolat the female chimp was flown to EMA by DHL Express from Nairobi via Bahrain in a custom-built crate and supported by a team of specialist keepers, aircraft engineers, cargo handlers, security personnel and pilots. Throughout the trip Chocolat snacked on fresh fruit, nuts and sweet potato. From the airport, she was transported by road to her new home at Monkey World.
Chocolat’s family was hunted and killed when she was an infant, as part of the illegal bushmeat trade in the Republic of Congo. She had injuries from shotgun pellets that have left her with a paralysed hand and foot. She was rescued and cared for in Kenya for twenty years before finding her new home at Monkey World, which provides specialist care for chimpanzees that have been smuggled from the wild or suffered abuse or neglect.
To accommodate her needs, her new enclosure has been treated to upgrades such as lower platforms, new nesting areas and cargo nets, all designed to make Chocolat’s new home as accessible as possible. The 65-acre sanctuary is home to over 230 primates of 25 different species, with Chocolat joining 52 other chimpanzees.
EMA’s Managing Director Steve Griffiths said: “It’s fantastic that East Midlands Airport could play a part in bringing Chocolat the chimp to her new home at Monkey World where we hope she will live out her days happily.
“While transporting a chimpanzee on an aircraft is out of the ordinary, it shows what a vital international hub East Midlands Airport is and the important part it plays in connecting the UK with the whole world through its unrivalled cargo operation.”
Cain Moodie, EVP Network Operations for DHL Express in Europe said: "Facilitating Chocolat the chimp's relocation to Monkey World has been an honour. The logistics of transporting her were quite challenging, but our team of experts, in collaboration with Monkey World and her carers in Kenya, took every possible measure to ensure her journey was safe and comfortable.
Dr Alison Cronin MBE, Director at Monkey World said: “We’re so happy to welcome Chocolat. The reason we exist is to offer a nurturing environment for chimpanzees and other primates and to give them back a fraction of what has been taken from them by humans, providing them with a family again.
“Living in family groups in as natural an environment as possible is the best kind of rehabilitation we can provide to chimpanzees like Chocolat. Her integration will be gradual, but her journey has been very smooth, thanks to the support of DHL and so far she is settling in well.”
