Walter is a charismatic baby chimpanzee. “He's really confident with everybody, with everything,” says Dr. Rebeca Atencia, Executive Director of JGI Congo and head veterinarian at Tchimpounga. While being transferred overland from Angola, he warmed hearts by tapping on his cage and politely asking for food. While Walter is happy and social, he shows occasional signs of this past trauma. If he feels alone or ignored, he may grab his knees and rock back and forth—a self-soothing technique common among chimpanzees who were taken from their mothers at a very young age.
