Woman ignores no contact with chimpanzee in Antwerp ZOO
Today, 2.15 pm
In Antwerp ZOO, the love between chimpanzee Chita and regular visitor Adie Timmermans is still very much alive. Despite a contact ban, the woman continues to visit her favorite monkey.
During her in-between time at the zoo, Timmermans spends much more time at the chimpanzee enclosure. She has a special relationship with 38-year-old Chita, who kisses the glass when he sees her. In August, the woman was told that she was no longer allowed to have contact with Chita.
The monkey was kept as a pet in his younger years and so is used to humans. Because of his close relationship with Timmermans, he gains the respect of his peers. Now it turns out that the woman simply ignores the ban.
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“I won’t let myself be done and I’ve always kept going”, she tells news site HLN. “I received a letter with the message that I can only have ‘brief’ contact with him. But I think they can’t impose that on me.”
For a while guards walked around Chita’s residence, but they have gone down. So the communication continues. “Chita will come running over when I’m there”, said Timmermans. “So I think he’s happy to see me. And I’m also glad I left alone again.”
Fidgety
According to a spokeswoman for the zoo, caretakers still make sure that Chita does not make too much contact with visitors. That makes the chimpanzee. Still, he would be more comfortable in his own skin than he was a few months ago.