In a captivating new video, witness the extraordinary moment as Vanilla, a 28-year-old chimpanzee, embraces the vast expanse of the open sky for the first time. Her life’s narrative unfolds within the backdrop of a secluded island chimp sanctuary in Florida.
Vanilla’s early years were confined to the confines of a New York biomedical research facility, where she and numerous chimpanzee companions endured life in cages suspended like birdcages, a poignant detail from the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Post her liberation from the New York facility in 1995, Vanilla, along with other captive chimps, embarked on a journey to the now-shuttered Wildlife Waystation in California. Here, she existed within a roofed enclosure, isolated from the outside world, an account chronicled by the Daily Mail.
“In California, Vanilla shared a chain-link-fence cage with few enrichments and no grass, alongside a handful of fellow chimps,” disclosed Andrew Halloran, primatologist and director of Save the Chimps, in an exclusive interview with the New York Post.
Vanilla’s odyssey continued when the Wildlife Waystation closed its doors. Transported via a FedEx airplane, part of the global community engagement program FedEx Cares, she and her cohort arrived at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in a semi-truck.
Following the sanctuary’s standard quarantine procedures, the chimps were gradually integrated into larger family groups, a process detailed in a poignant sanctuary statement.
The recently unveiled video captures Vanilla’s initial hesitation, leaping from a doorway to be embraced by Dwight, a male chimp. Throughout the footage, her gaze is repeatedly drawn skyward as she navigates her newfound haven—a grassy, open-air habitat spanning 3 acres (1.2 hectares) on the island.
While Shake, another rescued chimp, ventured onto the island without hesitation, Vanilla’s apprehension became evident. “She sat in the doorway until Dwight, the alpha male, encouraged her to join him,” noted Save the Chimps representatives, illustrating Vanilla’s unique journey from captivity to the celestial embrace of the open sky.