A journalist from Namibia, Africa named John Grobler felt he had to intervene as soon as he saw the starving chimpanzee imprisoned between two trees. When John visited Granja Pôr Do Sol, a personal park on the southern fringes of Huambo, he was in Angola on business. John first encountered Leila, a chimpanzee who was 4 1/2 years old, there.
John stated to The Dodo:
“I noticed a juvenile chimpanzee right at the entrance who was tied between two trees and appeared to be in really bad shape. She wasn’t being properly cared for by anyone.”
Leila’s mother was probably killed for her flesh before someone sold her to the park owner when she was barely a newborn, according to John’s inquiries of the locals about Leila.
They informed John that Leila had been shackled after she had reportedly broken her cage while being held at first in a cage.
Leila was chained, exposed to the sun, and without any cover from the elements. The little chimpanzee had a very rough life.
Leila wasg for food from park visitors in order to survive. Leila had lived for years on unhealthy foods like fried chicken, spaghetti, chips, beer, and whiskey since those were the only foods available anywhere around her. Leila had started drinking her own pee to remain hydrated, John said.
John observed a scar on Leila’s skull, indicating that she had also been injured at some point.
John uttered:
She had clearly suffered from severe malnutrition, was in bad health, and had at some time been struck in the head with a machete.
The guy had no plans to stay in this region of Angola for very long, but he was determined to save Leila from her precarious condition, no matter how challenging or expensive it would be to do so.
“I come from a family of animal lovers, so when I saw this chimpanzee, I knew I had to stop this from happening and take action.”
Leila’s rescue was unfortunately everything but simple. Although it is technically illegal to maintain a pet chimpanzee in Angola due to rampant corruption, John anticipated that in order to remove her from the nation, he would need to persuade the appropriate individuals.
