An eventful past
Babsie was born in a German circus, where she performed with her sister Peggy, their parents and other chimpanzees. After the circus director passed away, his wife was no longer able to care for the animals. The adult chimpanzees were euthanised. Fortunately, we were able to save Babsie and Peggy from the same fate and bring them to our rescue centre in Almere in 2001.
From Almere to Spain and back again
In 2009, Babsie and Peggy moved to AAP Spain together with a group of ten chimpanzees. There they lived for many years in a stable group with older conspecifics. Although things went well, it became increasingly important for the sisters to also have contact with peers – and those are mainly to be found at AAP Almere. That is why the sisters returned to the Netherlands in 2024.
A difficult decision
Back in Almere, it became clear that Peggy was suffering from kidney problems. Because she needs intensive care, this means there is little chance of finding an outplacement partner who can take her in. In order to give Babsie a chance to be outplaced, we decided to introduce her into another group of chimpanzees. Eventually, she had the unique opportunity to be placed within a chimpanzee group at Edinburgh Zoo.
Arrival in Scotland
After careful preparations, Babsie recently arrived safely in Scotland. She is now getting to know her new group and surroundings. The first few days are always daunting, but the keepers at Edinburgh Zoo are doing everything they can to help her feel at home quickly.About outplacements
As with most rescued animals in our centres, once they have recovered, we look for a suitable forever home for them.
Of course, we only outplace animals to parks and sanctuaries that can guarantee excellent care. The animals get a home where they can stay for the rest of their lives. At the same time, we create space in our rescue centres for other animals in need. Read more about the outplacement of animals.
