Video shows joyful moment Vanilla the rescue chimpanzee sees sky for the first time

A video has captured the heartwarming moment that a rescued chimpanzee sees the open sky for the first time after living inside for 28 years.

Vanilla the chimpanzee grew up in a medical laboratory in New York, where scientists experimented with new medicine and surgery on animals to see if the techniques were safe enough to be used on humans.

Because of this, she had lived in a small cage where she couldn’t roam about for the first two years of her life. She was then moved to a refuge with other rescued chimps in California where she lived in a larger enclosure, about the size of a garage.

Last year, Save the Chimps arranged for her and her group of chimps to be flown to the foundation’s 150 acre sanctuary in Florida.

She now lives in a refuge that is home to 226 other rescued chimpanzees – many of whom had been experimented on by scientists, held captive in roadside zoos or kept as pets.

The video shows Vanilla leaving her enclosure and seeing nature for the first time.

First, she gets a big hug from the Alpha male of her group, Dwight.

She then looks up at the sky and her face is full of wonder and joy. After that, she goes and explores the green grass of the open sanctuary.

Save the Chimps’ primatologist Dr. Andrew Halloran said the open green fields, trees and climbing platforms of her new home are very different to the small enclosures she was kept in before being rescued.

“In California, Vanilla lived with a handful of chimps inside a chain-link fence cage with no grass,” Halloran told The New York Post.

He said Vanilla was settling in to her new home very well and liked to explore with her chimp friends or sit up high on a three-storey climbing platform and look at the views.

He gets to know what each new chimp that arrives at the sanctuary is like to figure out which of the 12 chimp island communities will be the best match.

It turns out Vanilla has found a happy home.

“She gets along with all of the other 18 chimps on her island,” Halloran said, “and has a particularly playful relationship with the Alpha male Dwight — from whom she steals food.”

POLL

GLOSSARY

• refuge: a safe place to go to after being in danger
• sanctuary: a place where someone is protected
• enclosure: an area surrounded by fences or walls, ie. an animal enclosure
• alpha male: the dominant male animal of a group
• primatologist: a scientist that studies apes, monkeys, chimpanzees and other primates
• communities: a group of people or animals that live together in a particular area

EXTRA READING
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Apes mind their manners with each other

QUICK QUIZ
1. How big is Vanilla’s new home?
2. How many other rescued chimps live in the sanctuary?
3. What did her friend Dwight do when Vanilla went outside for the first time?
4. What does Vanilla like to do now she has settled in to her new home?
5. How many chimp friends live on Vanilla’s island?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. How would it feel?

Imagine that Vanilla could describe how it felt see the sky and to walk on grass for the first time. Write what you think she would say, using as many details as you can to help your reader understand what it was like for Vanilla.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science

2. Extension
Should animals like Vanilla be used for scientific research? Use information in the story and perhaps your own research skills to write convincing arguments for or against.

Time: allow 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science; Personal and Social Capability

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!

Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB).

Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.

What can you come up with?

Remember to use your VCOP editing skills to read aloud, edit and up-level.