Guardiannews 03-2012

Jane Goodall Institute Netherlands

Happpy Birthday Tchimpounga

Little Jay in 1992

On December 2nd 1992 the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo welcomed it’s first twenty-five guests. Now, exactly twenty years later, Tchimpounga is the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa and home to no less than 161 chimpanzees, almost all victims of the commercial trade in bushmeat.

It started with Little Jay, a two-year-old chimpanzee, who was found exhausted and dehydrated by primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall at the market in Kinshasa. Tied with a rope around his waist, he looked at Jane with a glazed look and put his arm around her neck. Jane soon convinced the authorities to confiscate the young chimpanzee.

After Little Jay numerous confiscations followed and very quickly there was a need for a safe environment for this growing group of young orphans. A place where they had the space to climb and play, to learn the skills they needed for a life in the forest. With the help of the U.S. company Conoco a sanctuary was built for the now 25 chimpanzees near the city of Pointe Noire.

These were turbulent times in the Republic of Congo. In 1997, civil war broke out and years of political instability followed. Poaching increased dramatically, and in the first decade Tchimpounga received 130 chimpanzees. It was all hands on deck to feed the hungry stomachs to feed and care for the young orphans. Only in 2003 when the rest returned Tchimpounga could begin to address the root of the problem. To stop the illegal trade in wild animals, educating and informing the local population is of great importance. This is achieved through big billboards at markets and central squares in the Pointe Noire region, which display the laws and penalties when trading in apes. The conservation messages are also broadcasted on radio and television. Local schools and communities are visited to educate children and adults about chimpanzee conservation.

The education program has obvious effect, the number of chimpanzees that were confiscated from the region decreased dramatically, to zero from 2009 onward. But small little chimpanzees become large adults and these clearly need more space. The sanctuary grew beyond its capacity despite adding major new holding facilities. In 2011, after years of hard work and careful planning, the Tchimpounga reserve was expanded from 7,000 hectares to nearly 50,000 hectares. This also included the three islands in the Kouilou River. Islands full of tropical forest where the chimpanzees can live in relative freedom. Since September, the first island, Tchindzoulou, consisting of hundreds of hectares of forest, is now home for six young females.

At Tchimpounga staff is working hard to expand education and public awareness efforts. The plan is that to reach three hundred new schools and give teacher training sessions on nature conservation in the coming years. In addition, a program was started for the reintroduction of chimpanzees in the wild. This is a difficult process and requires a lot of preparation. In collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Help Congo the Jane Goodall Institute has surveyed an area in Conkouati-Douli National Park that is suitable to reintroduce groups of orphaned chimpanzees in full freedom.

Room for 25 chimps Effective Education program

Little Jay at the market in Kinshasa. Saved by Jane Goodall he was the first of hundreds of chimps savely living in sanctuaries in Congo

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Not all chimpanzees will be eligible for reintroduction. So huge efforts are made to prepare Tchindzoulou and the other islands for the arrival of more chimpanzees. In the near future, a significant part of Tchimpounga’s chimpanzee population will be transferred to the islands.

Unfortunately ‘Little’ Jay will not accompany the other chimpanzees to roam safely through the woods. In nearly twenty years Jay became an impressive alpha male (see photograph taken in 2011), but died a few weeks ago during a struggle for power. For the other chimps it is not too late. Your help is urgently needed to complete the islands. Together we can make a difference and ensure a new and safe home for the orphans at Tchimpounga.

Conservationists struggling to protect the remaining population of Ugandan chimpanzees have raised concerns that people around wildlife reserves in the west of the country have taken to eating the primates.

“There is now an issue of eating bush meat. We did not think Ugandans were eating primate meat but we are starting to observe that monkeys and chimps are being eaten. This is scary. The threat to their survival has been growing bigger,” according to Lily Ajarova who runs the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary, located on an island in Lake Victoria. The sanctuary, which houses 48 primates rescued from human captivity, was set up by the Jane Goodall Institute and is managed by the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Immigrants“There are many other parts of the world where primate meat is eaten but this had not been happening in Uganda. We began witnessing this over time. It has been developing slowly and we ourselves only got wind of it when we were in the field two years ago,” according to Lilly Ajarova, adding that it was now “an emerging problem.”

The recent arrivals of immigrants from the DRC have created a shift in the population balance of the area and have had an effect on local culture, she said. In July the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Musa Ecweru said that Uganda was struggling to feed the large number of Congolese fleeing the fighting in North Kivu Province in neighbouring DRC. There are an estimated 16,000 Congolese refugees in western Uganda. “There are lots of Congolese refugees in the area and they may have influenced the local people to eat monkeys and chimpanzees,” Ajarova said. “This has not been a part of Ugandan culture in the past, but now it is becoming an issue.

We have found that the habit is now rife in the whole (western) region. It is rampant in almost all the villages we visit. “We have from time to time seen villagers carrying carcasses of monkeys and, on occasion, chimps,” Ajarova said.

Chimpanzee on the bushmeat menu in Uganda, a dramatic new trend?

EbolaExperts are now worried that the new trend could lead to a possible outbreak of Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever that is often fatal, which is believed to be transferred to humans through contact with an infected animal. “This is a serious problem. Any meat that is eaten has to pass through proper veterinary inspection, even if it is from farms. People eating primate meat run a risk of getting infected with zoonotic diseases, including Ebola,” said Andrew Seguya, the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. “There is no Ugandan tribe that traditionally eats primate meat, but there are many Congolese refugees in that area and the Congolese may have spread the habit to locals,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ajarova said efforts are being made to change people’s attitudes towards eating primate meat through education programmes, using FM radios to pass on conservation messages to the communities and the setting up of animal-rearing projects among villagers. “We are telling people to stop eating primate meat, informing them that it is dangerous to their health as they will get diseases like Ebola. This is one of the key messages in our education programmes,” she said.

Bushmeat and hunting threats to chimps are part of Ngamba Isand’s education program for many years

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Six chimpanzees released on TchindzoulouIt’s been 20 years since the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center (TCRC) opened in the Republic of Congo. Dr. Jane Goodall founded the sanctuary to provide care and hope to the chimpanzee victims of the illegal commercial bushmeat and pet trades. Today, many of the chimpanzee residents are adults who need to explore and expand their horizons beyond the boundaries of the existing facility. Recognizing this need, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) put a great deal of effort into creating a more natural environment for the Tchimpounga chimpanzees.

On September 20, 2012, after years of hard work and preparation, two female chimpanzees, Kudia and Vitika, were transferred from TCRC to JGI’s newly expanded sanctuary site on Tchindzoulou Island in the nearby Kouilou River. This magical wild place, composed of hundreds of hectares of pristine and mysterious tropical forest surrounded by river water, will be their new home.

At 8:45 a.m. on the day of the transfer, there was a great deal of movement around Kudia and Vitika’s dormitory. The Tchimpounga caregivers and veterinarians moved about with concentration and focus. After a few minutes, a group of caregivers came out of the dormitory carrying two large wooden boxes painted dark green, both featuring sliding barred doors on the front. Inside the boxes were slightly groggy Kudia and Vitika who were recovering from the residual effects of anesthesia, completely unaware how different their lives would be by day’s end.

A JGI vehicle transported the chimpanzees by road to the Kouilou River where JGI’s boat was waiting at a small beach. The air was filled with expectation. Curious children and adults from the surrounding villages crowded next to the boat to try to catch a glimpse of the two chimpanzees. Vitika held the bars with her fingers, showing her gray knuckles. Her eyes shone from inside the box as she pressed her lips to the bars as if wanting to kiss the people who were there. Alluding to the popular television series created by the Jane Goodall Institute-Congo, a small child exclaimed, “Look, it’s a chimpanzee like in the series ‘Super Kodo’!”

Kudia on transport

After leaving the beach, the boat traveled up the vast Kouilou River, the country’s second biggest river after the enormous Congo. The waters were calm and dark. Dr. Rebeca Atencia, head of the Jane Goodall Institute-Congo, kept a careful eye on the two chimpanzees inside the boxes. Kudia lay in the straw, calm and contemplative. Vitika, however, was constantly looking through the bars and taking in everything as the boat moved closer to the riverbank and the island’s seemingly impenetrable vegetation.

A few local people warmly greeted the travelers, waving their hands as they crossed the river in rudimentary canoes full of sugar cane and bananas. After 20 minutes on the water, the boat arrived at Tchindzoulou. Without delay, the team began moving boxes onto the island. Vitika screamed and waved her arms from inside the cage as the JGI team carried the boxes from the riverbank and moved them deeper into the forest.

The team placed the boxes side by side with just a couple of meters between them and then put sugar cane, oranges and bread on the ground to encourage Kudia and Vitika to stay nearby once they were released.

Jean Maboto, who has been on the Tchimpounga staff longer than any other caregiver, and another great sanctuary veteran, Adolphe, stood beside each box. While Rebeca approached the boxes and opened locks, she gave Jean Maboto the honor of opening the sliding doors to release the first of the Tchimpounga chimpanzees onto Tchindzoulou Island.

The JGI boat brings to Vichica to the Tchindzoulou island

The moment of release

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Everyone waited with anticipation eager to witness the chimpanzees’ long-awaited return to the forest. Jean Maboto stood next to Kudia’s box and lifted the slide up with great force. Kudia rushed out straight into the forest. Without wasting any time, Adolphe opened the other slide and Vitika exited with much more composure and caution. Rebeca encouraged her to follow Kudia’s path and eventually Vitika disappeared into the lush vegetation.

Several days later, JGI’s boat voyaged up the Kouilou River once again, this time with chimpanzees Ouband and Silaho on board. Upon arrival, Rebeca opened the sliding doors and the two females exited the boxes without hesitating for a second. The two embraced one another with great excitement. They appeared to be happily celebrating the magical moment as they smelled freedom in the forest’s enormous trees, lianas and palms. They began to walk a narrow path through the forest. From time to time, they looked hesitantly toward the river, astounded by the huge volume of water.

Something began to move between the branches of a tall tree. Two large water monitors raced down the trunk and dove into the river. Ouband and Silaho did not know this kind of animal existed and ran away in fear. While they fled, they began to hear another, more familiar sound. Kudia and Vitika were close. Kudia, curious and courageous, attempted to approach the new arrivals, but at the last second, a sudden fear came over her and she jumped from a tree onto Rebeca’s back. Rebeca went into the forest to show Kudia that her other friends were there.

When Kudia saw Ouband and Silaho, she climbed down without hesitation and ran toward them. The three greeted each other warmly, sniffing and gesturing with their bodies as chimpanzees usually do during these sorts of reunions. Vitika, who was farther away, soon arrived with her hair bristled. Silaho embraced her with great enthusiasm. After a quick but intense session of “grooming,” Vitika began to walk through the undergrowth, inviting others to follow her to the base of a large African Mamaea tree where they spent some time enjoying the delicious and nutritious wild fruit.

Kudia enjoys her first day on the Island

In the days that followed, Tambikissa and Louise were also transferred to Tchindzoulou. Like Silaho and Ouband, they embraced each other very excitedly when let out of the boxes, shouting and jumping with pleasure. Tambikissa is large and robust and her imposing size demands respect. While she ate a piece of sugar cane inside the box, Tambikissa turned unexpectedly and raised her hand close to the face of Serge, a caregiver from Tchimpounga who has been with these chimpanzees since they reached the sanctuary at just a few months old. The tip of her finger touched Serge’s cheek very slightly in a gentle caress. It was a greeting and a moment of assurance between them.

Shortly thereafter, the caregivers led the two female chimpanzees along a path that took them to the other four. Tambikissa walked with some difficulty as she had collected great handfuls of sugar cane, as well as a big orange. Kudia was the first to welcome them and after the greetings, Kudia began to look at Tambikissa’s food and begged her to share without much success. Louise, the smallest and most fearful of the chimpanzees, grabbed the base of a tree trunk to support herself as the others sniffed her without pause. Louise was scared and it showed on her face. Vitika seemed annoyed that she didn’t have access to Tambikissa’s food and while Tambikissa looked away, Vitika rushed over and nipped at her. Tambikissa avoided Vitika, allowing calm to return to the group.

In the days that followed, the six females tended to stay together near the camp site. A team of caregivers followed the chimpanzees, making continuous records of their behavior. The caregivers also provided the females fruit and soy milk to supplement their changing diet. At night, the chimpanzees climbed to the top of large trees and made nests close to one another. They are still somewhat afraid of the Tchindzoulou forest as they are unaware that they are safe from hunters and other wild chimpanzees in their wonderful new home.

For many years, the idea of transferring Tchimpounga’s chimps to a more natural environment has lived in the hearts and imaginations of everyone at JGI. Now, it has finally become a reality.

Tambikissa gently touches Serge’s cheek