Damien, one of Annie‘s sons who was at the wonderful Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida, recently passed away. Damien’s death was due to kidney failure that developed after an injury.
Please visit the Save the Chimps site to learn more about Damien as well as Ted, another chimpanzee who also recently passed away.
We were all very sad to learn of Damien and Ted’s passing, and our hearts go out to their caregivers. Save the Chimps is the word’s largest sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, and the staff are faced with the deaths of loved ones too frequently.
Here is a quote from the notice about Damien’s death: “He grew into a magnificent adult, and was one of the few chimpanzees at Save the Chimps who spent more of his life in sanctuary than in a research lab.”
Thank you to all at Save the Chimps who gave Damien a sanctuary life.
This is so sad. The injury was a result of a fight. How often do fights result in death in the wild?
I don’t have a figure for how often fights result in death in the wild. There are so many differences between the wild and any captive situation, I think it would be difficult to directly compare them. In the wild male chimpanzees will kill other males in rival troops, and there was the mother daughter pair at Gombe (Pom and Passion) who were particularly murderous, but they killed youngsters. Veterinary care in captivity probably contributes to fewer fatalities from injuries inflicted during fights.
Chimpanzees can be brutal, there’s no doubt about that, and there are many opportunities for injury during a conflict. Often when a fight breaks out, one chimpanzee gets the brunt of the attack from several members of the group. Most of the time injuries are not fatal, but it does occur on occasion. I don’t know what happened in Damien’s case.
RIP sweet boy , what a blessing he had such a wonderful home for so long xxx
This is so sad to hear. I send my condolences to everyone whose life was touched by Damien.
My heart goes out to the keepers and staff at Save the Chimps who loved Damien and Ted. Damien was lucky that he spent more time in sanctuary than in the lab. So many other chimps have not be as fortunate. RIP Damien and Ted. I am happy they both knew some freedom and most of all, love.
It’s always sad to hear of the death of any animal, but it hits home a lot more when it is related to one that you have at your own sanctuary. There lives are obviously shortened by the stresses they have been put under and the conditions they have been in. Sanctuaries like Save The Chimps and yourselves and others do a fantastic job to give them a better quality of living. Thanks to you all. RIP Damien & Ted.