Friends of Nature

Local conservation group, Friends of Nature, have donated 170 Mountain Papaya trees to the CRPL.  They assisted us by planting all the trees and watering them through the dry season over the last 2 months.  The trees were planted around the new facilities in early July and are all starting to flourish with the start of the rainy season this month.  The CRPL will have full use of all the fruits from the trees to help feed all the primates as well as the aesthetics and shade they will provide around the new facility.  We would like to send a big thank you to Friends of Nature for their donation and hard work!

Drinkers for the owl-faced monkeys campaign- Thank you!!

July was another successful month for donations!! We raised 372 dollars towards making water drinkers in the new owl-faced monkey enclosure! A huge thank you to:

 

Marcia D, Tracey B, Ryan K, Elise Q, Alexander L, Eoin L, Cian O!

 

 

 

Maisha enjoying a drink of water in his new home!

Tools for the forest camaign- Thank You!!

In June we had a campaign here on the blog and on facebook to raise money to buy tools for the new forest enclosure. And with your amazing support we raised 420$!!! A big thank you to: 

Marcia D, Tracey B, Diana G, Alain S, Gerhard G, James T and Fiona C :)

 Here is a couple of photos of the tools that were bought with your donations, this will make the everyday life for the keepers much easier and help keep the enclosure in tip top shape!

 

 

Construction begins on the Hamlyni Habitat

The foundations are dug for the fence.

This month, work has commenced on the Hamlyni Habitat, an enclosure in the new facility for the 12 Hamlyni Monkeys living at CRPL.  Currently living in many different cages made of metal and concrete, the new habitat will allow all the Hamlyni Monkeys to be housed in a single group, allowing more social interaction between individuals over a range of ages.  It will also enable them to be in a more natural environment where they can climb trees, dig in the ground and browse on grasses.

The foundations for the dormitory.



The stone foudations for the fence are laid.

So far, the foundations have been laid and the framework for the mesh fencing has been erected.  Staff have also been spending much time planting more trees and shrubs in the area and erecting extra climbing structures.



Staff have been adding climbing structures and a "monkey mountain"!

The framework of the fence going up.

Showing the entire habitat.

A big thankyou goes to Lager Zoo, the Norwegian pet store company that donated $6,000 towards the construction of the Hamlyni Habitat.

"Maisha", one of the Hamlyni, or Owl-faced Monkeys at CRPL.

If you would also like to contribute to the new Hamlyni Habitat, all funds donated towards the Operational Costs for the month of July will be spent on building 2 water drinkers in the new habitat.  We need a total of $432 to complete the project and then we can start moving the Hamlyni’s in to their new home!

A juvenile Hamlyni Monkey at CRPL.

New arrival- Mbandaka

Yesterday we received a newly confiscated chimpanzee female named Mbandaka.  She was confiscated from poachers on the other side of the DRC in the province of Mbandaka, near the capital Kinshasa. She was initially monitored by Lola ya Bonobo, the only Bonobo sanctuary in the world, located in Kinshasa, who worked hard to secure her transfer to the CRPL.

Travelling over 3000km and taking 3 days, Mbandaka was brought to the CRPL by the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN).  The ICCN did amazing work in this fight against the illegal pet trade and had coordinated her transfer using 3 modes of transport; plane, boat and car.  Mbandaka was brought into the quarantine cage at the CRPL and taken from her crate and into the care of a keeper. She was provided with food, which she accepted readily, eating some pineapple, banana, mango and onion straight away, as well as plenty of maternal contact, which she had been missing since taken from her mother by poachers.

Estimated at approximately 2 years of age, she will be provided 24 hour care by keepers and staff at CRPL.  Already, her personality is showing, a determined character that knows exactly what she wants!  She will spend one month in quarantine before the possibility of being introduced to other infant chimpanzees.  However, with other illegal infant chimpanzees known to authorities and the CRPL, it will not be long before we see more arrivals to join Mbandaka in her new life at the sanctuary of the CRPL.

Tools for the forest campaign!

Over the month of June we are running a “Tools for the Forest” campaign.  With our new forest enclosure full of chimpanzees the keepers will need some tools to take care of the enclosure and dormitory.  Money donated this month towards running costs will be used to purchase shovels, rakes, machetes, scrubbing brushes, a wheelbarrow and materials to build a tool rack. Donate in June to help us with this and you will receive a nice photo of Shege, one of the chimps that just moved into the new enclosure! Shege is a gentel and funny adult female, everyone that meets her fall in love! She is absolutely loving the forest :) Thank you for your support :)

Shege

Donations on the blog!

We want to thank everyone that has donated on the blog and facebook for the last three months!

In March we got 60$, a big thank you to Ryan K and Brenton H for supporting us!!!

In April we got 45$, a big thank you to Brenton H and Alison B for your support!!!

And May was a fantastic month for donations! Which matches the fantastic month it has been for the chimps:) We got 720$!! This is a huge help, as all the changes this month also has meant more money spent. A big thank you to; Linda V, Linda H, Iris W, Daniel H, Frances M, Heidi Q, Marcia D and Tracey B!

A big thank you from Maiko for all your support :)

The big boys join the forest group!

On Saturday finally the last chimpanzees joined the forest group. These are 4 adult males Kongo and his three friends Lume, Goma and Lubutu. Kongo is a big, playfull and gentel chimpanzee and was the leader of his group of 7 chimps. We are now hoping he will take over the leadership of the forest group. So far it's looking good, he is playing with the small ones and hanging out with the rest of the group a lot. But at the same time it's all quite scary for him, so it will take time for him to adjust and take control. Lume, Goma and Lubutu have been even more scared than Kongo of their new environment and all the new chimpanzees! But we hope and think they will adjust with time. All the moves are finished and there is 35 chimpanzees in the forest! Now it's time for the group to settle down, and hopefully build lots of new friendships! We will keep you updated on their progress! Thank you for all your support in this exiting time for Lwiro, we are all so happy and it has truely been the best month in CRPLs history :)



Kongo followed by Goma

Kongo exploring

Kongo tickeling Fizi

Lume

Lubutu

Kongo

Lubutu hugging old friend Flora

Kongo with the others

Kongo saying hello to Uvira

Kalume where he belongs!

Papa JJ with Kalume not long after his arrival at CRPL

Kalume was one of the very first chimpanzees to arrive at the CRPL – he is the reason this sanctuary was conceived by the government authorities! Arriving very small and very scared he also had horrific injuries inflicted by poachers with a machete. Most of the damage was done to his mouth, meaning that as he healed his mouth closed up, leaving only a small opening. His teeth and jaw were also damaged in the attack. Kalume underwent many operations over the years to repair what was possible. He became big and strong and went on to be the dominant male in a group of chimpanzees at the sanctuary. However, a few years ago disaster struck again when Kalume stoped walking and became very weak. Having little access to diagnostic tools in remote DRC, the CRPL staff did what they could for him. He needed to be removed from his group and had hands on care. The dream of all of those who have cared for Kalume is to see him once again with other chimpanzees, back where he belongs!

Kalume still displays some disabilities; however he is strong and confident. We decided to give him a go in the forest! He spent a few days in the dormitory, refusing to go out. So we bought some of the females to him! Lots of grooming occurred and everyone was calm. And today, Kalume decided it was time to head out into the forest and see what all the fuss was about! It went really well. Irangi made sure Kalume knew he was in charge and when Kalume did not challenge him, they began grooming. They day was a huge success and was an emotional day for everyone involved.

 Kalume today - his first day in a forest since being take by poachers

 Beautiful Kalume making friends

 Kalume and Irangi (front)

Kalume starting a new life!

The babies move house!

Walikale and Itebero - attached at the hip!

About a 2 minute walk from the sanctuary there is a small cage which was originally built as a short term quarantine cage for one or two chimpanzees. Unfortunately, infant chimpanzees were confiscated at an alarming rate over the past 5 years, meaning this cage became very full, very fast! Not having anywhere else to house these infants, they all stayed in this area. Within the sanctuary there is a larger cage in which the juveniles were housed. Now all of the juveniles (and some of the older infants) have been moved to the forest. This has left this larger, better equipped cage free for the infants! They have moved in and are so happy with the extra space! It is still a cage – so we have plans to continue constructions at the CRPL to build an infant habitat (and much more)! In the meantime, this is a step up from their old home and they love the extra room!

In the absence of Fizi, Maiko and the other older infants the babies have had to reorganise their structure. Butembo has stepped up to take on the dominant role and Aketi is making a great second in charge! Walikale and Itebero are both doing well, but are joined at the hip most of the time! Slowly they are starting to explore independent of each other, but it will take time. And Rambo never stops playing; he barley makes time to eat! They still have a caregiver with them 24 hours a day due to the fact that some of them are so young!

Lots of changes are happening for the better at the CRPL! More updates to come.

 Aketi - second in charge

 Butembo - the new boss

 Grace

 Loia

 Luguswa

 Lulinga and Walikale

 Mangay and Rambo laughing

 Mangay

 Rambo

Sakina