Resident since 2007
Sponsorship from £40 / year
Chimpanzee
Western ChimpanzeePan troglodytes verus
Bili
Travelled 4,000 miles to reach Wales after 30 years in a circus and zoo
Resident since 2011
Story
How Bili came to Wales
Bili was caught in the wild as an infant and spent 15 years performing in a Bulgarian circus before being moved to Stara Zagora Zoo, where he lived alone for another 15 years. We were asked by the Ministry to give him a home urgently, but the urgency was not matched by the Ministry, by Vier Pfoten (Four Paws), or by another sanctuary involved, all of whom delayed the rescue until September 2011. Bulgaria had no money in their budget for the move, so supporters of the sanctuary raised the transport cost.
He arrived at Wales Ape & Monkey Sanctuary at 1:30am on 23 September 2011 after a 4,000-mile road trip with Graham (the co-founder) and Mike. The trip was filmed for the BBC programme Rhys to the Rescue, with Dr Rhys Jones meeting them on arrival.
His first companions here were Tubman and Bimbo. Bimbo died of a heart attack on 10 February 2012. After a difficult period where Bili bullied Tubman, who was 48, he was moved next door and slowly introduced to a wider group.
Today Bili is sociable with the keepers and curious with visitors. He has been learning sign language from Ronnie, and copies Fergus's water-pistol trick.
Key dates
The timeline
Born
approx. 1981
Years in captivity before WAMS
30
Arrived at WAMS
23 Sept 2011
Distance travelled to rescue
4,000 mi
Day to day
Things Bili likes
Favourite foods
- tangerines
- grapes
- lychees
- yoghurts
- smoothies
- boiled eggs
Trivia
- Featured on BBC's Rhys to the Rescue with Dr Rhys Jones
- Picks up sign language from Ronnie
- Copies Fergus's water-pistol trick
More photos
More of Bili
Sponsor
Adopt Bili
For £40 a year you can sponsor Bili directly. The pack includes a certificate, biography, and a year's free admission.
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