For many years, Yuri was exploited in a circus and forced to perform a dangerous act known as the Globe of Death. Along with four human motorcyclists, he rode his motorcycle inside the Globe and was required to wear biker clothes, performing an average of three shows a day.

In his free hours, he was kept locked in a small, low cage that did not allow him to stand up, eventually causing a spinal deformity. Yuri was also forced to take photos with people. But luckily, his fate changed completely. On May 6, 2009, he was taken to the Anami Institute, becoming the last circus chimpanzee to be rescued before this practice was made illegal.

Highly humanized and weakened, he cried and refused to eat, probably missing the human family he had lived with for 13 years. But soon, Yuri found a true family — the chimpanzees Lucy and Noel, with whom he still lives today. He helped Lucy raise the young chimpanzee as if he were the father, protecting and playing with him, allowing the mother to rest peacefully at times. Today, Yuri shows typical chimpanzee behavior and no longer seeks out human contact.