Freddie is a three-year-old chimpanzee born wild in the forests of Guinea. Some time in 1980 his mother was murdered so that Freddie could be sold on the black market. His captor shut him in a plywood box and firmly nailed down the lid. Barely able to move in this confined space, Freddie endured endless dusty hours of travel on the rough bush roads. He was fed any leftovers that could be pushed through the small opening in the side of his prison. Unable to move very much he was forced to sit in his own excrement and as a result his anus became badly infected. He also developed gingivitis, a painful condition which causes the gums to recede and become soft and tender.