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A Belgian woman’s four-year “affair” with a chap named Chita (38) – which played out at a zoo – has come to an abrupt end.
Adie Timmermans has been visiting her monkey man, Chita, every week for four years, in what she describes as a real “relationship”.
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The pair – bar-crossed lovers, quipped the New York Post – would reportedly blow kisses and wave to each other through the glass of Chita’s enclosure, and Adie insists their attraction is mutual.
"We're having an affair, I'll just say,” she told ATV. “I love that animal and he loves me.”
Zookeepers became concerned when they noticed the chimpanzee, who’d previously been a pet, was struggling to socialise with the other chimps.
A spokesperson says Chita’s interactions with humans have made him an outsider among the animals, and after closing time he sits alone, seemingly waiting for the zoo’s gates to reopen.
"When Chita is constantly surrounded by visitors, the other monkeys ignore him and don't consider him part of the group, even though it's important for him," a zoo spokesperson said.
Chita's previous owners dropped him off at the zoo after his behaviour became difficult to manage. He’s been living at the zoo for 30 years and still enjoys being around humans.
The zoo’s ban came as a shock to Adie who can’t imagine life without her special friend.
"I haven't got anything else. Why do they want to take that away? Dozens of other visitors are allowed to make contact. Why not me?"
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The zoo explains that “an animal that is too focused on people is less respected by its peers”.
Adie hasn’t been banned from the zoo but she’s not allowed to monopolise her primate pal’s time, a spokesperson says. For now, zookeepers are focused on making it easier for the chimpanzee to socialise with others like him.
SOURCES: NEWSWEEK.COM, PEOPLE.COM, INSIDER.COM
