Main content

I saved chimpanzees and they've saved me

Stany Nyandwi's rescued chimps helped him through conflict and loneliness during Burundi's civil war.

As a young boy Stany made money selling sugarcane and worked as a 'houseboy' for families in Burundi's capital city Bujumbura. But later, a job with rescued chimpanzees became about more than just money. He began to learn their ways, and grew to love being around them. When ethnic conflict in Burundi escalated into civil war in 1994, Stany fled to safety with the chimps who, with histories of their own, gave him companionship and a ticket to a future without war.

Stany is a chimp specialist and his interactions with these animals should not be copied or emulated in any way.

He has co-written a book called The Chimpanzee Whisperer: A Life of Love and Loss, Compassion and Conservation.

Presenter: India Rakusen
Producer: May Cameron

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Stany Nyandwi and a chimpanzee. Credit: Barbara Hollweg)

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Thu 20 Jul 2023 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 19 Jul 2023 11:06GMT
  • Wed 19 Jul 2023 17:06GMT
  • Wed 19 Jul 2023 21:06GMT
  • Thu 20 Jul 2023 02:06GMT

Contact Outlook

Contact Outlook

Info on how we might use your contribution on air

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected