Viral video: Chimpanzee rescued from decades-long captivity sees sky for first time ever

A chimpanzee named Vanilla recently saw the sky for the first time after living in captivity for nearly three decades. A touching video of the primate has gone viral on the Internet.

In the video, shared by the non-profit chimpanzee sanctuary Save the Chimps on YouTube on June 15, Vanilla is seen initially hesitating to come out of her enclosure. But, when another rescued chimpanzee arrives, 28-year-old Vanilla jumps out and gazes at the open blue sky for the first time in her life.

According to the New York Post, Vanilla was rescued from the now-closed Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) in Tuxedo, New York, US. The chimpanzee was born at the facility and immediately separated from her mother.

As per Save the Chimps, Vanilla spent most of her early life in small cages that were suspended from the ground. In 1995, Vanilla and other chimpanzees were sent to the Wildlife Waystation animal sanctuary in California. However, after the sanctuary shut down in 2019, around 480 animals including Vanilla had to be re-homed.

Vanilla was last year moved to Save the Chimps in Florida where she underwent quarantine and was later introduced to other primates.

“We are happy to share that Vanilla and Shake (Vanilla’s sister) are now fully integrated into this large chimpanzee family, giving them the opportunity and freedom to explore the family’s 3-acre island”, the non-profit said in a statement on June 15.

The sanctuary said that Vanilla was in awe when she looked at the open sky for the first time. Now, both Vanilla and Shake enjoy their time on a man-made island at the sanctuary.

The New York lab where Vanilla was kept in a cage conducted research for HIV and hepatitis through the late 1990s. According to Dan Mathews, Save the Chimps’ director of events and special project, “Vanilla was one of the last who could have been tested”. He added that researchers at the facility infected chimpanzees with various diseases but he did not know if Vanilla was infected, reported the New York Post.

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