Lucy is a Chimpanzee who, in 1964, was adopted by two psychologists -Maurice and Jane- to carry out a psychological experiment, testing just how human-like apes can become. She was taken from her mother -a circus chimp- when she was just a baby and was forced into a typical human life style, using sign language to communicate, using silverware, dressing herself, etc. She lived with Maurice and Jane and they cared for her as she were their child. 12 years later when she got too big and strong (5 times the strength of a human) they decided that they could not maintain a safe and sound life style and they sent her to a chimpanzee rehabilitation center in Gambia, accompanied by a former caretaker of Lucy Janis Carter.
When Lucy's parents said goodbye to Lucy and left Gambia, she and the other chips there showed signs of depression and she emotionally and physically rejected the rehabilitation center so Janis decided to move the chimps to an abandoned island nearby which, after some time, grew on Lucy and became her home.
Janis visited frequently and would often show up with belongings and gifts for Lucy. One time, in 1986, Janis went to visit her and the other chimps and when she arrived she found Lucy's skeleton, the hands missing and the skull detached and no signs of skin or hair which lead Janice to conclude that poachers must have visited the island and because Lucy had, for her entire life, interacted with humans she was not afraid to approach the poachers.
