Sudi the chimp needs love and care in her golden years

It is because of this factor of community that they require a lot of mental stimulation when they are alone.

Such is the case with the lone remaining chimp at the Emperor Valley Zoo, Sudi.

Retired keeper Nel Van Kamer, who brought Sudi and two other chimps to the zoo in August 1977, is concerned that Sudi, who is now alone, is not as comfortable as she should be in her “golden years.”

Sudi recently made the news when she was captured on tape smoking a cigarette given to her by a visitor. In previous stories, it was stated that Sudi was raised in trailer park by a woman who smoked.

However, Van Kamer, who retired from the Metro Toronto Zoo ten years ago, said this was not so.

“There has been some misunderstanding. Sudi, who was called Suzi at the time but was renamed Sudi, which means good girl in Swahili, was adopted by a couple, Sue and Duncan, who never had children. They lived outside of Toronto in an old farm house.

“She was getting quite strong and while the husband could handle her, the wife couldn’t and Sudi would hold her ‘hostage’ until the husband came home. Chimpanzees live in groups and when the couple went to work Sudi was left alone and she did know if they would return. This was very hard for her,” Van Kamer said in a telephone interview from Canada.

Eventually, unknown to his wife, Duncan sold Sudi to the Toronto Zoo. Although Sue tried to get her back, she was unable to.

However, this was not Van Kamer’s real concern. She said Sudi was treated as one would treat a child.

“She would use the bathroom, she would take baths and she would go for walks. She was taught the sign language for the deaf that is used in the United States. Then another director took over at the Toronto Zoo and he did not want any chimps, so the curator at the Emperor Valley Zoo at the time, Hans Boos, agreed to take Sudi and two other chimps– a female Kijidudu (little bug) and male Njugunyassa (peanut),” she said.

Kijidudu, renamed Kiji, and Njugunyassa, renamed Njugo, have since died, leaving just Sudi.

“Now, I am not trying to step on anyone’s toes because Sudi has been looked after well enough, but I don’t think the cage is big enough for chimps and there is just a concrete floor and her sleeping area is a wooden plank.

“Sudi is now about 37 or 38 years old, that is about 75 human years and she has no bedding. Chimps build very large nests and in every zoo I’ve seen all over the world chimps are given adequate bedding. Sudi would be very happy with more bedding, blankets, cushion and she would rip it up I’m sure, but that makes them happy because it gives them something to do. It is a good idea to have clean cages, but keepers also have to take into consideration their mental well being. She has nothing to hold or be entertained with,” Van Kamer said.

She said mental stimulation was very important for chimps and as they were extremely intelligent and sensitive to companionship, on the heels of bearing the loss of Jugo and Kiji, Van Kamer said Sudi had another shock coming.

“Her keeper Harold Ramsamooj, who has always been her favourite, is going to retire next month so she is going to lose him too. She really needs something to hold on to because she will grieve although it will not be very obvious to most people,” she said.

Van Kamer said as far as age was concerned, Sudi was in her twilight years and such a special animal’s final years should be the best since “she could go any time.”

“Give her enough bedding to make a wonderful nest, toys she can cuddle up with and if she rips them apart get her another one, simple banana leaves will do. Give her clothes that she can put on. She’s all alone so it’s very important. You see chimps do a lot of grooming but it’s not just being clean and tidy, it is being sociable.

“Although there was evidence that she had her cycle, Sudi never became pregnant which is indicative that there was a great void somewhere. All three chimps were very traumatised as babies when they were taken away from their mothers,” she said.

Van Kamer said while she applauded the zoo’s efforts to better secure Sudi’s enclosure so visitors could not pass her anything through the wire, it was not in Sudi’s best interest.

To safeguard Sudi from further abuse by the public, fine-mesh wire was placed around her enclosure to prevent visitors from throwing cigarettes and other undesirables to her.

“This could be done in a better way. In most zoos coarse mesh wire or plexiglass is used to build barriers high enough to prevent people from throwing things or the barrier should be at least six feet away. People being people will always throw things to animals no matter what it is.

“Once there was a hippopotamus and someone threw in a tennis ball and the hippo swallowed it and died. She had a baby and I had to look after the baby. If we cannot get people to behave then we have to put up a barrier, but it should be put far enough away,” she said.

Van Kamer stressed that chimps did not make suitable pets because they were too strong.