Chimpanzee
Fiffy

Locked up for years in solitude

Chimpanzee Fiffy was raised as a baby by a couple as if she were a human child. After 8 years they could no longer handle her and she was unceremoniously locked away in the attic. This is where Fiffy was forced to spend many years. No room to move, no sunlight and all alone.

Finally freed

In 2007 we made a first attempt to get her away from this terrible place. Unfortunately that failed. A year later we were successful and finally an end came to years of solitary confinement for Fiffy.

Recovery

At AAP, a long road toward recovery began. Fiffy was overweight and in bad shape. Slowly but surely she recovered and was even able to meet peers for the first time! Today she lives in the group of chimpanzee Julio, to which Marria was also recently added.

Animals in need

Fiffy’s story is unfortunately not an isolated one. Many animals still live in appalling circumstances. At AAP we work hard every day to save animals like Fiffy from the most horrific of situations. For the rescue and care of animals in need, we are fully dependent on donations.

Chimpanzee Fiffy is rescued by AAP in 2008 after years of solitary confinement
Video rescue
Watch this video with touching footage
of Fiffy's rescue in 2008.

Fiffy can see again after
unique eye surgery

Fiffy had successful surgery on her eyes on Sunday, May 23, 2021. She had developed severe cataracts in both eyes in a short period of time, leaving her virtually blind. The chimpanzee could no longer bear light. Our veterinarian Hester van Bolhuis decided that things could not go on like this and asked the eye doctors for advice.

When Fiffy came to from the anesthesia, she was overwhelmed by her new sight, according to her caregivers, and never gets tired of looking at her hands and the platform in her enclosure.

As far as is known, Fiffy is the first chimpanzee to undergo such surgery in the Netherlands.

Pictures of Fiffy

More about AAP

AAP not only takes in exotic mammals in need, but also concerns itself with laws and regulations. For example, we advocate for a ban on wild animals in entertainment. Only by tackling the problem at its roots will animals like chimpanzee Fiffy no longer end up in appalling situations.