Martha
- Group: 1
- Origin: Ghana
- Gender: Female
- Year of Birth: 1994
History
Martha was hand-reared and kept as a pet by her former owners in Ghana. At 3 years, she was given to a zoo and stayed there until she was 14 years old. Though she was never physically abused, she never integrated into the chimpanzee group in the zoo and was kept isolated from the group. She more or less grew up in social isolation. She was transferred to the sanctuary in 2008.
Useful Info
Martha was highly anti-social when she first arrived at the sanctuary and did not know how to interact with other chimpanzees. In the early days, she had a close bond with young Lilly, who helped in her integration process. She has since learnt the chimp language and even socialises with Charles and Jessica these days. She grooms and plays with the youngsters and will even reassure them when they are upset.
© 2025 Chimp Eden
The Jane Goodall Institute South Africa.
All Rights Reserved.
