Beni and Mbandaka Settle In

The 2 smallest chimpanzees at the CRPL have settled in well with the nursery group, now totalling 13.  They are very popular with the bigger infants and there were fights over who got to hold the newest babies!  Lulinga in particular has proved a wonderful mother figure and is always with one of the youngsters and sleeps with Mbandaka every night.  Beni is sweet and timid, however she is playing more and more and growing quickly.  Mbandaka is highly intelligent and not afraid of anything, she will be a real power house when she grows up! 

Photo 1.  Beni with Lulinga and being groomed by Lugushwa.

 

 

Photo 2.  Beni with Lulinga

 Photo 3.  Mbandaka with Lulinga

Photo 4.  Mbandaka with Lugushwa 

Photo 5.  Mbandaka with Butembo 

Photo 6.  Beni catching a ride with Lulinga

Water Pipe

At the end of November the CRPL had a big problem with a main water pipe bursting in the new facility.  Unknown to us when the land was donated and we built the Chimpanzee Habitat, the main water pipe that supplies the whole Lwiro village runs directly through the middle of the Chimpanzee Forest.  This pipe burst and left the whole village without water.  Maintenance staff did emergency repairs on the pipe, however it was evident that it needed replacing.

Photo 1.  Workers dig down to the pipe.

Photo 2.  Scooping out water from the hole.

Photo 3.  Emergency repair number 2 holding.

 It was vital for us to act quickly during these times of war in the Kivu region, so we could maintain our good relationship with the village and not be the object of any release of tensions.  Thankfully, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) stepped in, granting the CRPL emergency funding to complete the replacement of the section of pipe.  It was decided to re-route the pipe outside the sanctuary at the same time, to avoid the sanctuary being involved in any similar problems in the future.

Photo 4.  Repair leaking so had to go in again the next day!

Photo 5.  Emergency repair number 3, this one should hold!

Work is almost completed on the new pipe; it is already working and there just remain the finishing touches to fill in the trench.

Photo 6.  Digging the trench for the new pipe, outside the sanctuary boundary.

Photo 7.  The old pipe which you can see running directly in to the sanctuary and the chimpanzee forest and the new trench heading to the left around the outside of the sanctuary.

Photo 8.  The trench for the new pipe.

Photo 9.  The new pipe.

Photo 10.  Filling in the trench and covering the new pipe.

 

Photo 11.  Finishing touches, showing the new pipe course outside the sanctuary and the forest.  The building on the right is part of the Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles, one of our partners and donators of the land for the sanctuary.

 

Again, we would like to express a huge thank you to PASA for their continuing support of the CRPL.

Hello Friends!

The CRPL is proud to announce the launch of their new shop.  There is lots of CRPL merchandise available to purchase and just in time for Christmas too!
So if you like to share Christmas gifts that give twice, follow the link at the top of the blog, on the right hand side.  All profits from the shop go towards the work we do at the sanctuary, so you are helping the primates as well as purchasing great items your friends and family will love.

Thanks!