Crime Scene

At most places chimp escapes are a really big deal and they happen infrequently. At Tchimpounga there are probably 5 per day. You kind of get used to it quickly which is not good considering how dangerous chimpanzees actually are. Most of the time these guys are sweethearts though and if you come across them when they are escaped they are scared and want to hug you. Either that or steal your things….that is pretty common too. Rule #1 is to give up whatever you have. Food, water, video camera….anything, just let the chimp have it and be calm. This escape was a little unusual because the chimp got in the house. This is the crime scene:

broken window on the door, point of entry:


assorted things on the floor the chimp must have been interested in:


handle ripped off door in attempt to access the next room:


bloody footprints after the chimp sat in broken glass, cut herself, and then walked all over:


in congo they sell peanuts in old whiskey bottles on the side of the road. On her way out of the house the chimp grabbed one of these and started eating the peanuts. a minute later we heard something shatter and the next thing you knew the chimp had this broken bottle in hand like a drunken pirate. Thats when the ketamine had to come out. i'm not sure if there is a moral to this story....chimp escapes = bad?