I saw the special on Oliver, and I found his story amazing, but also incredibly sad. By looking at his face, you can easily see why people believed
he was a human/chimpanzee hybrid.
The saddest part of Oliver's story started when the Buckshire Corporation purchased Oliver in 1989, a Pennsylvanian laboratory leasing out animals
for scientific and cosmetic testing. His entrance examination detailed some previous rough handling. He was never used in experiments, but
for the
next seven years his home was a 7 x 5 foot (2.1 x 1.5 meter) cage, whose restricted size resulted in his muscles becoming atrophied so much that his
limbs trembled.
After years of being passed from one family to another, he was relegated to life in a tiny cage in the basement of a research lab for 7 years. I
can't imagine how terrible this must have been.
I know many people believe that animals cannot think or feel like humans do, but I just cannot buy that.
Oliver was intelligent enough to use a toilet, he liked to watch TV with the Burgers (his family), drink coffee and beer with them, and even took on
simple household chores like feeding the dog.
According to Janet Burger, "You could send him on chores. He would take the wheelbarrow and empty the hay and straw from the stalls. And when it was
time to feed the dogs, he would get the pans, and mix the dog food for me. I'd get it ready and he'd mix it,'' she said. As he grew older, Oliver
also acquired habits normally enjoyed only by humans, including a cup of coffee and a nightcap. "This guy, Oliver, he enjoyed sitting down at night
and having a drink, and watching television. He'd mix his own. He'd pour a shot of whiskey and put some Seven-Up in there, stir it and drink it,''
she recalled.
Oliver also displayed emotions not normally associated with chimpanzees, including tears of remorse at temporary separations.
Fortunately, in 1996, Oliver's confinement came to an end, when he was retired to an animal sanctuary at Boerne in Texas's Hill County. Called
Primarily Primates, it offered spacious accommodation and allowed Oliver to return to good health.
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