‘I consider him my first son’: how living with a baby monkey taught me I’m ready to be a dad
I went from selling flats in Paris to being alone in a cabin in Guinea looking after primates. It changed my life, but one relationship marked me like no other
TL;DR
- The author quit his job selling flats in Paris to work at the Chimpanzee Conservation Centre in Guinea.
- He lived in a cabin caring for 66 chimpanzees, experiencing isolation and personal growth.
- Observing chimpanzees helped him understand and accept his own emotions, particularly anger.
- His most significant relationship was with a rescued baby sooty mangabey named Elio.
- Caring for Elio taught him patience and prepared him for fatherhood.
- Elio was moved to a wildlife center in Liberia for potential release, but later died of an infection.
- Elio's death deeply affected the author, but the experience solidified his life's purpose and advocacy against poaching and illegal wildlife trade.