Escape to Chimp Eden is a television series broadcast on the Animal Planet

Animal Planet

Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...

 network that premiered on February 8, 2008. The series examines the rescue of abused and neglected chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...

s.

History

Caught up in the turmoil of war-torn countries, chimps frequently become orphans of the bushmeat

Bushmeat

Bushmeat initially referred to the hunting of wild animals in West and Central Africa and is a calque from the French viande de brousse. Today the term is commonly used for meat of terrestrial wild animals, killed for subsistence or commercial purposes throughout the humid tropics of the Americas,...

 trade, sold at markets or auctions, according to Animal Planet. Chimps also are caged for entertainment or chained as pets. With only about 150,000 chimps remaining in the wild, the chimpanzee population is being destroyed and the lives of these creatures are being degraded.

Eugene Cussons

Eugene Cussons

Eugene Cussons is the managing director of "Chimpanzee Eden" as well as Rescue Director of Jane Goodall Institute in South Africa. He is also the host of Animal Planet's Escape to Chimp Eden.-Early life:...

, South African rescue director for Chimp Eden

Chimp Eden

The Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden, commonly referenced as Chimp Eden is a game reserve and sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, in the Umhloti Nature Reserve, near Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa...

, a sanctuary at the Jane Goodall Institute

Jane Goodall Institute

The Jane Goodall Institute is an international wildlife and environment conservation organization with branches in many countries. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Dr...

 in the Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...

 region of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 is the human star of the show. Cussons helps rescue chimps and prepare them for life in the wild, researching the locations of abused and neglected chimps and then either negotiating or forcing them away from their neglectful owners, taking them to the safety of Chimp Eden.

"Call it fate, call it divine intervention, but I felt drawn to the cause of rescuing and rehabilitating chimpanzees," Cussons said. "I was looking to be part of something bigger than myself."

His connection with the chimps is evident when he teaches 11-year-old Cozi to climb a tree for the first time. "Cozi never had been up a tree before, and I could feel he was nervous of falling but also elated by the new experience," said Cussons. "As he put his arm around my shoulders for security, I felt then that, although we belonged to different species, Cozi saw me not just as a friend but a brother he trusted with his life."

Escape to Chimp Eden is produced for Animal Planet by Creative Differences

Creative Differences

Creative Differences is an album released by Living Legends. Its album cover is a reference to The Brady Bunch.-Track listing:...

 and Triosphere

Triosphere

Triosphere is a progressive heavy metal band from Trondheim, Norway. They released their debut album Onwards in 2007 and their second album The Road Less Travelled in 2010.-History:...

. Phil Fairclough, Dave Harding, and Erik Nelson are executive producers for Creative Differences. Oloff Bergh is an executive producer for Triosphere. Jason Carey is executive producer for Animal Planet.

Featured Chimpanzees

Chimp	Approx. Age	Date of Rescue	Status	Enclosure
Abu	16 Years	March 2006	Deceased	N/A
Amadeus	13 Years	March 2006	Alpha Male	Adult
Azie	1.5 Years	July 2008	Infant Female	Juvenile 2
Bazia	3 Years	July 2008	Infant Female	Juvenile 2
Bruce	Unknown	Died at Sudan Safe House 2007	Deceased	N/A
Charlene	2.5 Years	July 2008	Infant Female	Juvenile 2
Charles	Unknown	November 2008	3rd Male	Adult
Charlie	2 Years	April 2007	Infant Male	Juvenile 1
Claudette	14 Years	January 1996, Moved from Johannesburg Zoo to Chimp Eden in 2008	3rd Female	Adult
Cozi	11 Years	April 2006	3rd Male	Juvenile 1
Dinka	2 Years	April 2007	Infant Male	Juvenile 1
Gida	7 Years	October 2006	Deceased	N/A
Jessica	25 Years	December 2008	Adult Female	Juvenile 2
Jinga	13 Years	November 2006	Alpha Female	Adult
Jao	60-65 Years	April 2006	2nd Male	Juvenile 1
Josephine	18 Years	October 2007	Adult Female	Adult
Lika	13 Years	October 2006	5th Female	Adult
Lily	2 Years	July 2008	Infant Female	Juvenile 2
Marco	5 Years	July 2008	Infant Male	Juvenile 2
Martha	14 Years	July 2008	Adult Female	Juvenile 2
Mary	3.5 Years	July 2008	Infant Female	Juvenile 2
Mimi	13 Years	October 2006	2nd Female	Adult
Mowgli	3.5 Years	July 2008	Infant Male	Juvenile 2
Nicky	11 Years	March 2006	2nd Male	Adult
Nina	4 Years	April 2007	Infant Female	Juvenile 1
Sally	3 Years	July 2006	Infant Female	Juvenile 1
Sampa	5 Years	October 2007	Adolescent Female	Juvenile 1
Suzie	6 Years	July 2008	Adult Female	Juvenile 2
Tamu	1.5 Years	July 2008	Infant Male	Juvenile 2
Thomas	4 Years	April 2007	Infant Male	Juvenile 1
Tony	3 Years	October 2007	Infant Male	Juvenile 1
Xena	4 Years	July 2006	Infant Female	Juvenile 1
Zac	17 Years	October 2006	Alpha Male	Juvenile 1
Zee	2 Years	July 2006	Infant Female	Juvenile 1

Between Seasons 1 & 2 both Abu and Gida died. Gida died in the episode The Rise and Fall of Gida due to captive chimp syndrome, suffering complications from organ failure. Abu's death was also aired in a previous episode.

See also

• Animal rights
  Animal rights
  Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
  
  
• Animal rescue
  Animal rescue
  Animal rescue can refer to:* Animal Rescue TV series* Animal sanctuary* Animal welfare* Rescue groups for pets* Pet Rescue * RSPCA Animal Rescue TV series* Wildlife rescue* Wildlife rehabilitation...
  
  
• Animal sanctuary
  Animal sanctuary
  An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death...
  
  
• Animal welfare
  Animal welfare
  Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
  
  
• Cruelty to animals
  Cruelty to animals
  Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
  
  

External links

• TV Week: "Chimps Find Eden on Animal Planet". Jon Lafayette. January 16, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
• JGI Chimpanzee Eden website