3/21/2008 For More Information About Escape tp Chimp Eden…

In recent weeks, Animal Planet has aired a new series called “Escape to Chimp Eden.” The series describes efforts to rescue chimpanzees in Africa from the often terrible conditions they face in captivity including physical abuse, malnutrition and abandonment.  It has also introduced millions of viewers to the important work of sanctuaries where chimps are given new, better places to live, and in particular to a sanctuary called Chimpanzee Eden located near Nelspruit, South Africa.  In sanctuaries like these and others around the African continent, chimpanzees are provided critical care and a rehabilitative environment.
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Chimpanzee Eden is a project of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) South Africa, one of seventeen sister Jane Goodall Institutes around the world.  Although JGI USA does not directly support Chimpanzee Eden, it does operate Tchimpounga Sanctuary near the city of Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo where 139 chimpanzees have been rescued and now receive care.

Wild chimps often wind up in captivity or in sanctuaries after their mothers have been shot by hunters as a result of the bushmeat trade.  In some cases, young chimps who survive the killing of their families may be sold to people who mistakenly believe that they would make good pets.  But within a few years, these infants become dangerous adolescents and wind up in cages or chains because their owners cannot take care of them.  The lucky ones can sometimes be rescued and taken to one of 19 sanctuaries across Africa. 

JGI USA and other JGIs also work to address the many dangers facing chimpanzees and their habitats by helping local people living in areas near these primates develop livelihoods that preserve the forests.  For information on these programs, please go to http://www.janegoodall.org/africa-programs/programs/tacare.asp.