Republic of Congo
Republic of the Congo
Congo is one of the most densly forested countries in Africa. There are estimated to be around 10,000 chimpanzees in the Republic of Congo. Great apes in the country are threatened by human conflict, logging, the spread of disease, and hunting for the commercial, illegal bushmeat trade.
Expansion of the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center
In 2011, after three years of planning and hard work, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) successfully secured the land necessary to expand the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center (TCRC), JGI’s chimpanzee sanctuary in the Republic of the Congo. JGI intends to expand the sanctuary by building supplementary facilities on three islands in the nearby Kouilou River. The islands will offer the chimpanzees a much larger, natural setting where they can learn, grow and build social bonds in a secure environment.
Background / Issues:
Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center
Every year poachers in the Congo Basin kill thousands of chimpanzees as part of the illegal bushmeat trade. Typically, the hunters spare the lives of the smallest, confiscating them and selling them as pets despite laws forbidding such trade.
TNR Expansion
Through the hard work and determination of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) staff, and thanks to United States Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS), the Congolese government and supporters like you, the expansion of the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve is a reality.
Background:
In the spring of 2011, the Congolese government ratified a decree to expand the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve (TNR) by 750 percent. JGI's Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa, lies within the current boundaries of the TNR.
Ape Surveys and Distribution Modeling
JGI’s Applied Conservation Science Program provides the detailed census data that is essential to conservation planning and assessment. To be effective, the conservation community needs to know the distribution, status and trends of great ape populations. Identification of human threats in specific landscapes is also critical.
And Now, A Baby for Golden!
In his latest blog entry, Dr. Deus Mjungu, Gombe Stream Research Center’s director of chimpanzee research, discusses the newest addition to the G family in Gombe National Park, Tanzania.
It’s been two days since we saw Golden with her new baby for the first time. One month and four days after her identical twin sister had a baby, Golden has also given birth.
JGI Fights Measles Outbreak in Congo
In the Republic of Congo, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) recently assisted the Congolese Ministry of Health in its efforts to vaccinate local communities against a measles outbreak in the area surrounding the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve. The reserve serves as a protected area for wild chimpanzees and also contains JGI’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center (TCRC), the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa.
Area of Tchimpounga Nature Reserve Expanded by 750 Percent!
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JGI staff braved waist-high waters while conducting surveys of the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve.
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Wonderful news!
Study at Tchimpounga Reveals Similarities in Chimp and Human Gambling Preferences
A recent behavioral study conducted by Duke University at two African great ape sanctuaries, including the Jane Goodall Institute’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo, investigated how chimpanzees and bonobos make decisions when faced with different options. The study’s findings indicate that, similar to humans, the two species are more apt to gamble when they know the odds than when they do not.
Tchimpounga Sanctuary Photo Gallery
At the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo we give traumatized orphan chimpanzees, who are often sick, malnourished and close to death, a second chance at a happy life.
