Val arrived along with Kathy after spending seven months in Qatar at the center of an international tug-of-war. The chimpanzees were found stuffed inside a cardboard tube and confiscated by customs officials at the Doha Airport in Qatar, foiling what was believed to have been an attempt to smuggle the pair to a private owner in the Middle East. But intense negotiations followed for months while Val and Kathy were held at the Doha Zoo in Qatar. Despite the ordeal, Val settled in quickly at Chimfunshi, and is naturally outgoing and playful.

Kathy came to Chimfunshi along with Val after a harrowing, seven-month ordeal that saw the pair smuggled out of Africa through Nigeria and Egypt and on to the Middle East, where chimpanzees are prized as pets. Kathy and Val were stuffed inside a cardboard tube, but managed to wiggle enough to alert a customs official in Qatar. It was thought Kathy might be a bonobo or a hybrid chimpanzee, but she is rapidly outgrowing her distinctive features. She remains wary and distrustful of humans, though, and is a staunch defender of Val.

Commando reached Chimfunshi after an airlift from the Central African Republic sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Orphaned by the bushmeat trade, he was suffering from a host of internal parasites and skin diseases, and he had been badly mistreated and abused by his captors -- who had knocked out his lower teeth to keep him from biting. In fact, Commando was so small and undernourished that veterinarians who examined him prior to his transfer gave him only a 40 percent chance of survival. Nevertheless, Commando quickly regained his health and is a close friend of Miracle.

Miracle is the only "orphan" actually born at Chimfunshi. She was the third offspring of Maggie, a 15-year old female whose first two infants died shortly after birth, and careful attention was paid to Maggie’s treatment of this baby. Sure enough, Maggie showed little natural ability as a mother, slinging the infant carelessly about her cage and even attempting to "bury" it under straw. But when she was observed threading the infant through the steels bars of her night cage -- then ripping it hastily back through -- the decision was taken to hand-rear the baby instead. Having survived such a traumatic start, "Miracle" was considered an appropriate name.

Berta arrived at Chimfunshi along with Chiffon after having spent several years in the home of Italian expatriates in Man, in the northwest region of the country. But the unstable government and economy of the Ivory Coast prompted the move to Chimfunshi, where Berta quickly settled in with the other nursery chimps. She remains happy and confident, and shares a special bond with Chiffon.

Julie is the self-appointed matriarch of the nursery group at Chimfunshi, and appears to regard Miracle as her personal responsibility. In fact, when Chimfunshi co-founder Sheila Siddle first approached Julie with Miracle in her arms, Julie snatched the baby chimp away and angrily chastised Siddle in the process. Since then, Julie has devoted a tremendous amount of attention to Miracle, although she watches over the other babies as well. She reached Chimfunshi after spending several years alone in Qatar in the private zoo of sheik.

Chiffon was brought to Chimfunshi from his home in the Ivory Coast along with Berta, a 3-year old female, after having been raised by an Italian expatriate couple living in the city of Man. Although well-adjusted, Chiffon took several weeks to get used to the other chimpanzees at the sanctuary, and remains very close with Berta.