Of all our chimpanzees, Poco’s history is perhaps the most tragic, spending the first nine years of his life in a cage suspended above a workshop in Burundi. Confined and used to attracting customers, Poco had so little space he was only able to sit or stand on two legs. Poco arrived at Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 1995 from Burundi, where it is said he was leader of the chimpanzee group.

Since his arrival, Poco made great progress in learning how to knuckle-walk like normal chimpanzees. He really likes people and will strut or throw sticks to get the attention of visitors. Poco is one of our gentler chimpanzees and his bipedal swagger ensures he stands out from the crowd!

The chimpanzees at Sweetwaters unfortunately cannot be reintroduced to the wild and therefore need ongoing support. It costs us US$5,000 a year to look after one chimpanzee!