Chimpanzee Abandoned After Experiment Lives Alone on Island for 3 Years

Ponso the chimpanzee was once used in medical experiments. After the experiments, he was abandoned on a small island in Côte d'Ivoire and lived alone there. Nearby residents Germain often gave him some bananas and bread, which was his only source of food on the island.

Estelle Raballand, director of the Great Ape Protection Center, visited him, and the lonely Ponsio excitedly hugged her, unable to hide his joy.

An organization called SOS PONSO has raised more than 20,000 euros (approximately 145,000 yuan) to help Ponsio.

Several years ago, the New York Blood Center captured 20 chimpanzees aged 7 to 11 from the wild for hepatitis research, and Ponsio was one of them. They were bound on iron racks, anesthetized, or underwent live examinations. After the experiments ended, 11 chimpanzees died, and the remaining 9 were transferred again. The New York Blood Center would occasionally deliver food and water to these chimpanzees. Only Ponsio survived in the end.

Recently, when a new friend visited him on the island, the lonely Ponsio happily hugged him.