Chimp Love

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr Goodall's pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior.  This research transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals and is a global leader in the effort to conserve and preserve endangered species and habitats, and in particular chimpanzees.

Situated within the beautiful 1,000 hectare Umhloti Nature Reserve, 15 kilometres outside Nelspruit, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) South Africa Chimpanzee Sanctuary - or Chimp Eden - is home to chimps that have been misplaced from their natural habitats in Africa as well as those rescued from private ownership all over the world.

Jessica loves her shoe!

There are about 34 chimpanzees currently living at Chimp Eden.  They are separated into three groups in distinct enclosures in an attempt to recreate the natural order of the wild. There are viewpoints overlooking the forest and "foraging areas" from which visitors and volunteers can observe and study the chimpanzees. (Hence the barbed wire fences in the photographs. Sorry.)

One group is very typical with an alpha male, other less dominant males, some females and juveniles. The second is all male with a naturally evolving hierarchy. It is basically a chimp frat house. The third is comprised of all adults.

There is also a separate nursery with a male, a female and a one year old baby which is most likely the beginning of a fourth group. The baby chimp was actually an accident - a failure of contraception. These chimp sanctuaries are actually not meant for breeding. The reason is simple. There is a limit to the number of chimps the sanctuary is permitted to hold. In this case, 40. If Chimp Eden allowed the chimpanzees to breed naturally, they would soon hit that limit and would be unable to accept rescued chimpanzees. And that would be a tragedy. So therefore all of the females who reside at Chimp Eden are on contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

We were able to observe the first two groups but the adult group and the nursery were verboten. Because of their advanced age and the fact that their extreme mistreatment was so severe at the hands of humans, the adult group becomes very agitated with people they do not know, i.e. visitors. And the new family still need to be cloistered until the baby's immune system matures. Chimps are very susceptible to human germs and disease is one of the three main reasons the chimpanzee is endangered in the first place. The other two are habitat loss through deforestation and hunting for bush meat. Chimpanzees in the wild may be extinct within the next 10 - 20 years if current trends cannot be reversed.

Chimp Eden is just one of three chimpanzee sanctuaries established and managed by the Jane Goodall Institute. It was established in 2006 and is the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa.  In addition to offering critical sanctuary for this endangered species, they bring the world of chimpanzees closer to humanity through education end eco-tourism.

Why South Africa you ask? (Actually, I asked.) It was a good question as chimpanzees are not native to South Africa. The answer is politics. South Africa is very advanced in its conservation policy and the government is stable enough so that the chimpanzees are not in danger of being released, poached, confiscated or sold - all real threats in many of their native countries.

The goal of all the chimpanzee sanctuaries is the same -  to rescue chimpanzees that have survived the bush meat trade, been orphaned, traded in the illegal pet market, or rescued from being traumatized for entertainment in circuses, zoos, beach resorts and night clubs.

The chimpanzees at Chimp Eden are the lucky ones, living out their lives in a risk free environment and being provided with the necessary attention to recover from the trauma they have experienced.  The chimpanzees spend their days in semi-wild enclosures, and show normal social interaction and behavioral patterns as group members.

The chimpanzee is considered to be the closest relative to humans and as you would imagine, they are extremely intelligent. It was fascinating to observe them, but I was really unprepared for the effect their sad stories had on me at the hands of circuses, zoos, laboratories and as "pets." I knew it would be difficult to hear their stories, but I was truly speechless for hours after our visit. I will not share any of their stories here but suffice it to say, these chimps and we humans are so lucky Jane Goodall was born!

peppers for snack time? over here!

hanging out in the trees

Chimp love