A daring midnight run saved Cassius from death row 35 years ago 🐵 | Pets & Animals | ABC Australia

When three men performed an illegal rescue mission to save a chimpanzee on death row, they set off a chain of events that put a small central Queensland zoo at the forefront of international efforts to perverse the species for future generations. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/ABCAus-subscribe

Cassius and his brother Ockie were at Tweed Heads zoon and were about to be euthanased due to suspected tuberculosis in 1986. Mum Matilda had already been put down.

Tom Wyatt was the director of Rockhampton’s Sport and Recreation and he and then mayor Jim Webber saw the death warrant on television and hatched a rescue plan.

Now, Cassius is about to turn 50, and he’s part of a seven-member chimp troop at the Rockhampton Zoo.

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