Robby the chimpanzee has spent more than 40 years with a German circus troupe. Despite calls for him to live out the rest of his days among fellow apes, a German court has decided he should stay where he is.
A German court on Thursday ruled that a 47-year-old circus chimpanzee called Robby should spend the rest of his days among people, rather than with other apes.
Zoo-born Robby has lived with circus owner Klaus Köhler and his family since the age of three, and the question of whether he would be better off at an ape rehabilitation facility has been the subject of a lengthy legal battle.
The decision in the Higher Administrative Court in Lüneburg means he will stay put.
“I’m glad that I can keep my child,” the circus boss told reporters after the ruling was handed down.