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Outlook: I saved chimpanzees and they've saved me

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Chimp and Stany smile1080x1920.jpg

19/07/2023 GMT

I saved chimpanzees and they've saved me

BBC World Service - Outlook, I saved chimpanzees and they've saved me

Stany Nyandwi's rescued chimps helped him through war and loneliness

Stany Nyandwi's rescued chimps helped him through conflict and loneliness during Burundi's civil war.

As a young boy Stany made money selling sugarcane and worked as a 'houseboy' for families in Burundi's capital city Bujumbura. But later, a job with rescued chimpanzees became about more than just money. He began to learn their ways, and grew to love being around them. When ethnic conflict in Burundi escalated into civil war in 1994, Stany fled to safety with the chimps who, with histories of their own, gave him companionship and a ticket to a future without war.

Stany is a chimp specialist and his interactions with these animals should not be copied or emulated in any way.

He has co-written a book called The Chimpanzee Whisperer: A Life of Love and Loss, Compassion and Conservation.

Presenter: India Rakusen
Producer: May Cameron

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Stany Nyandwi and a chimpanzee. Credit: Barbara Hollweg)

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