Toby arrived at Fauna on July 23, 2002 from the St. Félicien Zoo, just north of Québec City. To the best of our knowledge, he has lived all but the first eight months of his 24-year life in zoos, for the most part in the company of his surrogate mother, Samba, and another young male, Benji.

It is not certain where Toby was born. There are two stories. One says that he was captured in the wild and brought to Canada, most likely illegally; the other story is that he was born at another zoo in Quebec and sold to the St. Félicien Zoo.

We do know that Toby was bought by the St. Félicien Zoo to be a companion to Samba's son, Benji. Samba had rejected her only child and the zoo felt it was important for Benji to have a companion.

In their early years, Toby and his adopted brother Benji were often dressed in clothes and taken home by the keepers and other zoo officials. This could explain lots about Toby — his knowing how to colour, the way he enjoys wearing sunglasses and jewelry, his use of utensils, and his passion for potato chips and pop. These are things he would have experienced during his formative years being (partially) raised by humans.

We were also told that one morning, after months of Benji and Toby living together in quarters adjacent to Samba's, that the keepers arrived to discover that Samba had broken into the youngsters' enclosure during the night. From that day forward, the three lived as a family. And Toby was treated no differently than Benji, as the three settled in to being a family unit.

Aside from these anecdotes and observations, we really don't know very much about Toby except that in the last few years of his life, no one wanted him and his family. It happens so often in zoos. Suddenly, you're considered surplus, or too old, or not cute enough, or your exhibit is being torn down and you must leave. Where are all these unwanted individuals supposed to go?

In 2000, when Fauna was approached by the zoo, we were ready to make a home for the three but a ruling by the Agricultural Commission that governs the use of regional farmland prohibited us from rescuing any new chimpanzees.

Samba died the following year. And then there were two. Males in their twenties — and still no takers. Zoos did not want them and the various sanctuaries approached could not afford to take on the responsibility of their upkeep.

Last summer, Benji died suddenly, leaving Toby distraught and all alone. He was found one morning, sitting in his enclosure, holding his brother's dead body. This just one year after the loss of the only mother Toby had ever known.

It was clear that he could not stay at St. Félicien; that he could not remain by himself. He had already grown lethargic, refusing to eat. The zoo even had to hospitalize him. With no alternative, they brought Toby to Fauna as his only hope for survival, The Agricultural Commission was petitioned again and this time, allowed Toby to stay under the distressing circumstances.

The past few years were very frustrating for all of us here at Fauna, knowing that this special family of Samba, Benji and Toby were a mere six hour drive away. We were completely willing to introduce this family to our family but were prevented from doing so because of the rules. After the death of Samba, we went to meet Benji and Toby, to see if we could do more to lobby on their behalf. But we were unsuccessful in our petition to the Commission at that time.

The early and tragic death of Benji left Toby in a very vulnerable position. There is no doubt that he was feeling distraught, insecure, and alone. These are the reasons his re-socialization has taken so long, and that we face the problems we now do.

Toby is a very sweet, kind but insecure guy although a social and loving fellow who will one day be accepted and loved by his new family. But he needs to heal. He needs to adapt and, most of all, he needs the quiet space in which to make his new friendships.    

Date of birth: unknown (1977?)  

Aka: Mon Amour Toby, mon gros garcon, Toby Tremblay

Personality:

Toby is a loving and loyal chimpanzee. He is gentle, considerate and polite.  His loving personality and his kind disposition are his most noticeable traits. Toby grew up with two chimpanzees, a mother and her son. He was the adopted brother. This kind of upbringing helped Toby understand what it is like to be part of a family. Sadly, both his adopted mother and brother died, leaving him very distraught and alone. It has been hard for Toby to fit in with the group at Fauna. He has a few close friends, but that is all.

Toby has an amazing memory and is very intelligent. He has managed to understand three languages and to learn the behaviors of other chimpanzees at Fauna -- behaviors that have helped him get the things he needs or wants by making certain noises or throwing fruits and vegetables.  Not all of Toby’s new personality traits are desirable! They are certainly clever, but they can be painful, like for example when you get hit in the head with an apple because Toby decided he wants something. Toby’s keen learning ability allows him to develop and use new skills wisely.

Emotionally, Toby has had to work hard to become a part of the Fauna family dynamic. He often shows his vulnerable side, and how terribly insecure he is. This is understandable considering Toby’s background. He lost so much in such a short period of time and was forced to have significant changes in his life that were extremely difficult and challenging.

Toby came to us extremely distraught from so much loss and pain in his life. He had an incredible amount of adjusting to do. He had to learn quickly and work hard to fit into the dynamic and intensity of group living at Fauna. It was Donna Rae and Sue Ellen that helped Toby get through his first weeks at Fauna, giving him the love and security he so desperately needed at that time.

Toby now has a best friend. He loves Rachel and she loves him. They are content to spend a great deal of time together. He feels very relaxed around Rachel, and can often be found with her. In her presence, he will wear jewelry, hair scrunchies on his wrist like a bracelet and sometimes sunglasses on the back of his neck. It is nice to see this loving friendship and what it has done for both Toby and Rachel.

Toby is a very large fellow. When he stands completely upright he is 5’ tall. His hand is one foot long from wrist to finger tips. He has an impressive display and can be rather intimidating. At one time, he was extremely athletic, able to climb to the highest structure and reach places no other resident of Fauna could.

He is getting older now, and had a very bad fight that left him a little slower and unable to get around with the same speed. But his vocalizations and the kind of display he does -- he bangs the back of his wrists on a noisy surface -- are still very impressive and scary.

Social Status: Feared, respected, not accepted by all yet; he has no loyalty from anyone so he has no confidence.

Favorite Activities:

Toby is so content when he is with someone grooming, resting, or playing with a blanket or some other object.
 
Toby loves enrichment packages and always finds something of interest that he can use in them. Once he gets something he likes, he will wear it or keep it with him for days. You often wonder what a fellow with such curiosity and intelligence would have been like if he had the chance to live in the forest. 

Toby very much loves to be outdoors, but only if he feels secure that no one will lock him outside. It took years for us to help him understand that when he goes outside, we will leave the door open for him to come back in whenever he wants. Believing this is a challenge for a chimpanzee who has lived “on exhibit” in a zoo environment, where you are locked out in the morning and can only come in at the end of the day. For the first years, Toby would sit in the doorway, always ready to run back in and always watching to see if we were going to close the door. Eventually, he  learned to trust that we would not lock him outside, and that he can come and go as he pleases. Now safe in that knowledge, he comes in to get his lunch, and carries it back outside with him to enjoy.

Toby is another artistic fellow, who loves to paint and to listen to music. In the beginning, he would paint for very long periods of time. He would paint on canvas, using water to help spread the paint. His style is completely different from that of anyone else. His art is unique. He has always been very fond of the color blue, which made some of his work extremely bright and beautiful. Toby concentrated when he painted and was so focused on what he was doing that you would always expect his work to be spectacular. Toby painted for a long time, but then once he and Rachel became close, he gave it all up.  Now we rarely see Toby paint anymore. We hope that one day he will again, so we can share some of his amazing work.

When Toby listens to music, he listens intently. He loves those musical toys that have buttons to press to make the sounds come out. He will hold these toys close to his ear, and listen for ever to the beat. It is quite amazing really that he finds this so entertaining. He actually rocks when he is listening to music.

Toby loves to wear scarves. Often the scarf will then be laid out around him creating a circle that becomes his bed. He has never slept in a nest of blankets. He only makes the form around him, but it does not touch his body. But, this circle must make him feel enclosed and we can always tell where Toby slept -- by the neat circle he makes.  

Favorite Foods:

As we have mentioned before, chimpanzees who are raised by humans, or are in environments where eating human food is popular, end up preferring this kind of food. Toby is no exception. He is quite attached to popcorn, corn chips, and chocolate. He had these in his life before, and he still enjoys them. On party days, or when they are offered as a treat, you can see how much Toby enjoys these foods. He screams with excitement.
 

Naturally, Toby does not get these foods everyday. Offered to him in moderation, they are not bad for him, especially when they make him so overwhelmingly happy. In captivity, there are few things that you have to look forward to. Food is right at the top of the list of ways to make life more enjoyable. Good food, good friends, and a nice home. 

Toby is also fond of cooked foods. He loves his vegetables cooked and mashed and he adores rice or pasta dishes. Vegetarian Shepard’s pie is a big favorite, as well as muffins.

Toby loves fruit, particularly blueberries. He grew up in the blueberry region of Quebec, and he is very excited by blueberries in anything -- his oatmeal, his muffins, his yogurt, or just in the little containers they come in. He is the blueberry man. Toby is wonderful to serve, especially if he likes what you are serving. He gets so excited and he always truly enjoys his food, especially those fun days with lots of surprises, like raisin bread, or popsicles and popcorn.