The Great Primate Handshake – Volunteer in Africa, working to conserve monkeys and apes through film and educational content production

This fascinating photograph was captured by a volunteer at Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Cameroon – an In Defense of Animals (IDA) project.

The  sanctuary, founded by veterinarian Sheri Speede, cares for orphaned, injured and abused chimpanzees, often vicims of the bushmeat trade or the entertainment industry.

On the 23rd September 2008, Dorothy passed away. The photograph above was captured after a decision was made to wheelbarrow Dorothy past her fellow troop, all who at one point in their lives had been rescued and found sanctuary at Sanaga-Yong. The intention was to show the troop that Dorothy had died and wasn’t coming back. This remarkable picture shows a moment of silence, as chimpanzee onlookers paused to observe Dorothy.

Dorothy’s story was remembered on National Geographic’s site:

After a hunter killed her mother, Dorothy was sold as a “mascot” to an amusement park in Cameroon. For the next 25 years she was tethered to the ground by a chain around her neck, taunted, teased, and taught to drink beer and smoke cigarettes for sport. In May 2000 Dorothy—obese from poor diet and lack of exercise—was rescued and relocated along with ten other primates. As her health improved, her deep kindness surfaced. She mothered an orphaned chimp named Bouboule and became a close friend to many others, including Jacky, the group’s alpha male, and Nama, another amusement-park refugee.

For more information about In Defence of Animals (IDA) you can visit their website here. IDA is a member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance