How East Midlands Airport played 'vital' role in saving African chimp from poachers
Chocolat the female chimp nearly died in the Republic of Congo after being shot by poachers, but her life has been changed thanks in part to the East Midlands Airport
The East Midlands Airport (EMA) has played a “vital” role in bringing a chimpanzee rescued from poachers to its long-term home in the UK.
Chocolat the female chimp was flown to EMA by DHL Express from Nairobi, Kenya, via Bahrain.
Her family was hunted and killed when she was an infant, as part of the illegal bushmeat trade in the Republic of Congo.
Chocolat suffered injuries from shotgun pellets that have left her with a paralysed hand and foot.
She was rescued and cared for in Kenya for twenty years before finding her new home at Monkey World in Dorset, which provides specialist care for chimpanzees that have been smuggled from the wild or suffered abuse or neglect.
During the journey to EMA via Bahrain, Chocolat was housed in a custom-built crate and supported by a team of specialist keepers, aircraft engineers, cargo handlers, security personnel and pilots.
Throughout the trip Chocolat snacked on fresh fruit, nuts and sweet potato.
From the airport, she was transported by road to her new home at Monkey World.
EMA’s Managing Director, Steve Griffiths, said: “It’s fantastic that East Midlands Airport could play a part in bringing Chocolat the chimp to her new home at Monkey World where we hope she will live out her days happily.
“While transporting a chimpanzee on an aircraft is out of the ordinary, it shows what a vital international hub East Midlands Airport is and the important part it plays in connecting the UK with the whole world through its unrivalled cargo operation.”