JULY 11,
2019
by
Konstantin Testorides
Koko the
chimpanzee, once a star in Skopje's zoo, has returned home after spending 10
years in the Netherlands recovering from depression, the zoo says.
Koko was
reunited with his keeper, Dragan Trajkovski, on Thursday, who said he was
overjoyed to see the chimp again.
"It was
a joy I cannot describe," the 49-year-old told The Associated Press.
"After 10 years, Koko recognized me. We touched each other, he turned his
back for a little scratching and pursed his mouth in a chimp kiss."
Koko was
born in the zoo of North Macedonia's capital Skopje in 1995. His mother died of
tuberculosis two years later, and the young chimp began suffering from
depression and loneliness. Trajkovski tried parenting him but for years his
condition did not improve.
Eventually a
Netherlands-based animal rescue group, Animal Advocacy and Protection, was
contacted and Koko was transferred to their facilities in the Netherlands in
2009 to recover.
After 10
years at the AAP facility, Koko returned to Skopje along with three other
chimpanzees who will be keeping him company: 57-year-old Mimmi, and Hiasl and
Rosi, both 38. All three were treated by AAP after suffering years of
mistreatment. Mimmi was once in a circus before ending up living in a drab
enclosure in a garden center in Germany, AAP said.
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