In 2008, he vanished from his enclosure and was never seen again, leaving the couple devastated over the loss of their “animal son.”
Elsewhere, in a deeply disturbing episode from Guinea, a chimpanzee snatched an eight-month-old infant named Yoh Hélène from her mother’s arms in a cassava field and retreated into the forest.
The child’s lifeless body was discovered several kilometers away, horrifically mutilated. Locals believed the chimp may have used tools in the attack, given the precision and extent of the injuries.
Lead researcher Gen Yamakoshi commented that the fatal incident reflected a shift in the animals’ behavior, noting that the local chimpanzees no longer appeared to fear humans.
In the aftermath, furious villagers stormed the Bossou Environmental Research Institute—accusing scientists of negligence—and destroyed critical equipment and documentation in a wave of grief and anger.
