Yea, we’re scratching our head on this one, too. But, a woman who frequented the Belgium Zoo has been prohibited from visiting the primate enclosure.
The reason, the woman says that she and one of the chimpanzees— 38-year-old Chita— were madly in love.
“I love that animal, and he loves me,” Adie Timmermans told the Belgian news channel ATV.
According to Timmermans, she visited the animal every week for the last four years. She described their relationship as being very real, and that it was almost as deep as an affair.
“I haven’t got anything else. Why do they want to take this away from me?” Timmermans told ATV tearfully. “Other dozens of visitors are allowed to make contact with Chita, but why not me?”
The woman had photos of herself at the enclosure, pressing her face up against the glass and blowing kisses to Chita.
Although the woman never made actual contact with the chimpanzee, the Belgium Zoo spokesperson noted the ban was to protect Chita— not Timmermans.
“When Chita is constantly surrounded by visitors, the other animals ignore him and don’t consider him part of the group,” Sarah Lafaut, told ATV. “An animal that is too focused on humans is less respected by its peers.”
The zoo did reiterate that they have not yet fully banned Timmermans from the zoo, but she is prohibited from visiting the chimpanzee section, and interacting with Chita.
“We asked Ms. Timmermans to let Chita be a chimpanzee among chimpanzees, and not to stay with him for too long nor attract his attention. We have also explained Ms. Timmermans why we are asking this from her, and all our visitors, and why this is beneficial for Chita,” Lafaut explained. “For his own health,” she added, “Chita has to be part of the chimpanzee group as much as possible.”