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Animal Lovers Fight To Save a British Chimp Suffering Bullying At A German Zoo

Tiffany Lo

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Animal Lovers Fight To Save a British Chimp Suffering Bullying At A German Zoo

Featured Image Credit: Press Association

Thousands of animal lovers are fighting to bring home a Twycross chimpanzee that was being bullied by other primates at a zoo in Germany.

Animal rights activist Petra Dente claimed the ten-year-old Bonobo, named Bili, suffered bites in the head and lost part of an ear in the attack.

The chimp was born in Leicestershire in 2008 but moved to Frankfurt after being rejected by his mum.

Bili was then adopted by loving female chimps in Frankfurt who have experience in dealing with unwanted youngsters.

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But he was relocated to a new home in Wuppertal Zoo at the recommendation of the Specialist Group of the European Zoological Community and the European Conservation Breeding Program last autumn.

Bili the Bonobo was sent to Wuppertal Zoo last autumn
Bili the Bonobo was sent to Wuppertal Zoo last autumn

Heart-wrenching images emerged showing Bili cowering in his enclosure.

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The bloodied fingers suggested Bili suffered savage attacks and had been bitten by twin males Azibo and Ayubu.

Animal lover Ms Brente launched a petition on Change.org in bid to get the chimp transferred to the Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre near Bovington in Dorset.

The petition has reached almost 75,000 signatures in the past few days, over its 50,000 target.

Ms Brente launched a petition online in attempt to save Bili the Bonobo
Ms Brente launched a petition online in attempt to save Bili the Bonobo
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Angry web users commented on the zoo's Facebook page demanding the zoo to release Bili immediately and to send him back to Britain.

Bili suffered attacks by twin males in the enclosure at Wuppertal Zoo, Germany
Bili suffered attacks by twin males in the enclosure at Wuppertal Zoo, Germany

However, staff at Wuppertal Zoo are rejecting the appeal as they expect to introduce Bili to a new group of chimps.

Their statement claimed: "The occurrence of aggression and injury can be expected, especially in the case of individual bonobo males, which have to be integrated into a new environment and a new social structure.

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"Therefore, the Green Zoo Wuppertal had already taken precautions in order to counter problems with the settling in of Bili.

"The current phase of integration is accompanied by various measures with the aim to reduce the type-specific aggression against Bili and to support the acclimation."

Tiffany Lo
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