DHL Express has partnered with Monkey World for the transport of Chocolat, a female chimpanzee and orphan of the illegal bushmeat trade in the Republic of Congo, to her new long-term home in the ape rescue centre in Dorset, UK. 

DHL said the chimp was an infant when her family were hunted and killed. She was found with sustained injuries from shotgun pellets that have left her with a paralyzed hand and foot on her right side.

"After spending the past twenty years in Kenya being looked after by her original rescuer,  Chocolat has now found a long-term home at Monkey World, which provides specialist care for chimpanzees that have been smuggled from the wild and/or suffered abuse or neglect," the announcement said.

To accommodate her needs, her new enclosure has been upgraded with lower platforms, new nesting areas, and cargo nets, all designed to make Chocolat’s new home as accessible as possible.

Monkey World was established in 1987 to provide a home for chimpanzees who were being abused in the Spanish beach photography trade.

Since then, it has continued to rescue monkeys, apes and prosimians who have been used or abused by humans and has assisted 29 governments to confiscate and rehome the victims of the illegal trade in primates.

The 65-acre sanctuary in Dorset is now home to over 230 primates of 25 different species.  Chocolat will join 52 other chimpanzees, over 4 groups, living in as natural conditions as possible.

DHL Express noted that throughout her journey, the chimp was transported in a custom-built crate supported by a team of specialist keepers, aircraft engineers, cargo handlers, security personnel, and pilots.

The journey, which was carefully planned to reduce the amount of time she spent in transit, began at Nairobi Airport on August 15, included a brief stop in Bahrain, and concluded with a seven-hour flight to East Midlands Airport, where she arrived on the morning of August 16.

From there, she was transported by road to her new home at Monkey World.

"It has been an honour to help Chocolat, the chimp, relocate to her new home at Monkey World. The logistics of transporting her were quite challenging, but our team of experts, in collaboration with Monkey World and her carers in Kenya, took every possible measure to ensure her journey was safe and comfortable," commented Cain Moodie, EVP of Network Operations for DHL Express in Europe.

"It's a real pleasure for everyone at DHL when we can use our skills and network to contribute to projects such as this," Moodie added.