Sanctuary chimpanzee pictured. JGI does not endorse approaching or handling wild chimpanzees.

To protect chimpanzees from extinction we must address the root causes of numerous threats, including habitat loss, the illegal bushmeat and exotic pet trades, armed conflict, and infectious disease. But we also face an immediate crisis -- the continual growth in the number of “bushmeat orphans.” Commercial bushmeat hunters kill many chimpanzees every year. Infants, too small to be killed for meat, are often put on the black market for sale as pets or entertainers.

We work on a number of fronts to help the young victims of the illegal commercial bushmeat trade:

• Rescue: Working with African governments, JGI ensures that illegally held chimpanzees are confiscated from poachers or market vendors and placed in sanctuaries throughout Africa.
• Sanctuary: JGI operates the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa -- the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre in one of the Congo Basin regions where the commercial bushmeat trade is having the greatest impact on endangered species like chimpanzees. It provides a refuge where chimpanzees are cared for and given the chance to live full lives in spacious conditions. Tchimpounga is in the heart of the Congo Basin’s illegal commercial bushmeat corridor.
• In South Africa we are fortunate to have the JGI SA Chimpanzee Eden sanctuary in Nelspruit, our chimps come from many different countries including Angola, Mozambique, Sudan, South Africa, all orphaned by the bushmeat trade.
• Rehabilitation: Our comprehensive conservation strategy includes an ambitious goal: introducing orphaned chimps back into the wild. A generous grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is helping JGI staff to conduct a biodiversity survey and other assessments to find a site suitable for chimpanzee reintroduction into the wild. For Jane Goodall, a successful reintroduction program would be a dream come true. The JGI SA Sanctuary chimps will probably never be released into the wild but they all have a much better “wild” life than they did in zoos, as pets and exhibition animals.
• Community Development and Education: At Tchimpounga we provid tangible benefits to surrounding communities by supporting local development projects such as the construction of wells for clean drinking water, employing local people as staff, and buying all the fruits and vegetables needed to feed the chimps from local markets. Tchimpounga staff members also conduct public awareness workshops and other events to raise awareness about the problem of bushmeat and the value of biodiversity.