Belgian Woman Banned From Zoo Over Close Relationship With Chimpanzee
Written by SOURCE on August 25, 2021
A woman very into a male chimpanzee living at a zoo in Antwerp, Belgium has been banned from said zoo because officials think the cross-species relationship they got going is bad for the chimp, and will negatively affect his ability to socialize with his own kind.
“I love that animal and he loves me,” Adie Timmermans reportedly said to regional news channel ATV, as transcribed by LADBible.
Timmermans, who was visibly upset when talking to the Belgian media (proof in the video above), says she’s been visiting with the chimp, whose name is Chita, every week for four years.
These visits reportedly saw the two blowing kisses and waving at one another through the primate enclosure glass.
Timmermans thinks Chita feels the same way about her as she does about him.
Not surprisingly people who work at the zoo had taken notice, and they’ve subsequently stepped in because Chitah has been getting rejected by his ape comrades.
“When Chita is constantly surrounded by visitors, the other animals ignore him and don’t consider him part of the group,” said zoo curator Sarah Lafaut to ATV.
“An animal that is too focused on people is less respected by its peers. We want Chita to be a chimpanzee as much as possible.”
Being cast out by his fellow apes can result in Chita being by himself when humans aren’t at the park, which is a major issue since there are 15 hours per day that are outside of visiting hours.
