Updated August 23rd, 2021 at 16:00 IST

Belgium: Antwerp Zoo bans woman regularly visiting a Chimpanzee; Here's why

Adie Timmermans has been a regular visitor to the zoo and has grown fond of Chita, a 38-yr old chimpanzee has been banned to visit the Antwerp Zoo.

Reported by: Apoorva Kaul
IMAGE: Unsplash/RepresentativeImage | Image:self
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A woman has been banned from visiting a chimpanzee at a zoo in Belgium. The Belgian woman has been prohibited to enter  Antwerp zoo after the zoo officials realised that she was spending too much time with chimpanzee, reported de Gelderlander. Adie Timmermans has been a regular visitor to the zoo and has grown fond of Chita, a 38-year old chimpanzee who she has been visiting for four years.

Woman banned from zoo

Timmermans claimed that she and Chita would both be upset if they no longer are allowed to see each other. As per the report, Timmermans has stated that she and the animal love each other, reported de Gelderlander. She claimed that during the weekly meetings they both blow kisses to each other and wave through the glass of the enclosure. The zoo authorities have now banned her from entering the zoo as they think that the chimpanzee needs to socialise with other animals. 

According to Antwerp Zoo authorities, the chimpanzee has been already excluded by other chimps within the group due to his contact with humans, as per the report. In a letter to Timmermans, the zoo authorities mentioned that outside of visiting hours at the zoo, the animal has to manage 15 hours in a day with the group members, as per the report. Animal care manager Sander Hofman in a letter to Timmermans has explained that if Timmermans makes close contact with Chita, she will not be allowed to enter the zoo. As per the report, Chita, a 38-year-old chimpanzee grew up as a pet but when he became unmanageable, the owners donated him to the zoo. 

Last month, a heartwarming story of a dog and a human had won over the hearts of netizens. A video shared on Reddit showed a dog being adopted by a human with a prosthetic leg. The video showed how a dog's leg was amputated after a fracture. The clip then showed him getting adopted by his new human buddy. Both the human and the dog were seen walking away from the shelter at the end of the film's final shot. According to the caption that accompanies the video, this is "the perfect match."

 

 

IMAGE: Unsplash/RepresentativeImage

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Published August 23rd, 2021 at 16:00 IST