Cecília (28 years old) became world famous in 2018 for being the first chimpanzee to benefit from a writ of Habeas Corpus. Her transfer to the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil was ordered by the Argentine justice system, as Cecília lived alone and in unsuitable conditions at the Mendoza Zoo.

Rakker (34 years old) is another international resident of the Sanctuary, having been transferred along with his companion, Simon, from the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam (Netherlands) in 2004.

Cecília has a strong temperament and gets along well with other chimpanzees. About six months after her arrival, she began to interact and share her enclosure with other residents, and since then, the team has managed and rotated her companions, taking her more dominant profile into account.

Rakker is shyer and more reserved and had trouble being accepted into his group when he was very young at the European zoo. Simon was his loyal companion and always provided the support he needed, until his passing at the end of last year.

In June of this year, the team evaluated the possibility of interaction between the two, and the experience has been successful. Cecília and Rakker have been living together in harmony ever since.

Here are some records of the first moments of interaction between the two.