Chimps Caco and Jully are inseparable companions and an inspiring example of the transformative potential of socialization in a Sanctuary – Caco & Jully at their enclosure

The past of both Caco and Jully is not very clear. It is known that Caco is close to turning 40 years old and is believed to have been raised by a family as a pet. Later, he lived for a while at the Curitiba Zoo, and was subsequently transferred to the Sorocaba Zoo.

Caco ended up developing severe psychiatric disorders and mutilated himself badly, biting his legs and tearing pieces of his own skin and muscle. His fate would have been euthanasia, but fortunately the zoo requested his transfer to the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil which happened in 2002.

He went through medical treatment, but the real turning point was living closely with Jully. The bond between the two was so strong that Caco showed complete improvement in his clinical condition after just a few months.

Jully was also transferred to the Sanctuary in 2002, and the integration with Caco was, likewise, transformative for her life. She is a little younger, about 35 years old, and is believed to have belonged to a circus in Northeastern Brazil. When it went bankrupt, she was sold to an animal trader. Lacking any legal documentation, she ended up in the Piracicaba Zoo. When that zoo closed, she was transferred to the Sanctuary.

The most important point of this story is that, 23 years ago, Caco and Jully found each other, complemented one another, and discovered their balance to live the peace and respect they always deserved.