Hugging The Chimps: Adventures in Burundi

by Christel Hann

Hugging the Chimps is the fascinating story of a woman who ventures to Burundi, in Central Africa, to fulfill her life-long dream: to live with chimpanzees and experience first-hand what they are really like. In the midst of a brutal civil war that devastates the country and claims thelives of two fellow workers at the Jane Goodall Institute, she provides tender loving care to a large group of orphaned chimpanzees who have been rescued from poachers and pet traders. Life with the chimpanzees is not all joy. The frisky youngsters frequently attack and bite fellow-apes and caretakers. A baby chimp is stillborn. A powerful, escaped male launches a near fatal assault on one of the keepers. Other first-hand accounts include trips to bleak refugee camps, visits to an orphanage for children from Rwanda, and a weekend spent tracking wild chimpanzees through the forest. As the author gets to know her charges intimately, her life-long fascination with chimpanzees turns into true love of the creatures who have more than 98% of their genes in common with man. This is an inspiring and informative story that will delight all readers, especially those who love animals and tales of travel and adventure.

Genres: Nonfiction, Burundi, Animals

296 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2004