Coco arrived at the center in 2000 and was taken in as an adult. After 14 years of being tied up in a hotel to entertain the guests, Coco broke the chain that was holding him by the neck. After his escape, he was walking freely in Conakry (Guinea), then was stopped by a soldier who shot him 4 times!
Estelle Raballand, former director of the CCC, saved him in extremis to take him in at the Center.
Handicapped for life because of a bullet that fractured his knee, without learning the social codes of chimpanzees that are essential to life in a group, Coco could never be released into the wild.
Because of his very playful character, Coco had formed a very special bond with the team.