Archive for the ‘By Samantha’ Category
Last week I visited Franck & Roxane at J.A.C.K. - Jeunes Animaux Confisques du Katanga, a project that provides refuge to orphan baby chimps that have been legally confiscated by the Congolese authorities. In DR Congo the law clearly states you cannot buy a chimp, sell a chimp, traffic a chimp or keep a chimp in captivity. So when these chimps are confiscated, they need to be looked after. And that is where Franck & Roxane come in.
Roxane & I at the refuge center.
Franck & Chita, the oldest male chimp of the 13 at the refuge center. JACK started in April 2006 - and became a fully fledged NGO in October 2006.
Each morning Franck & Roxane make up the milk at their home for the 13 chimps and take it to the refuge centre which sits in a lush and tranquil corner of Lubumbashi Zoo.
Surrogate mothers Angeline and Arta help out - it really is each chimp for him/herself!
The project has not been going long, but has already made a substantial impact. Roxane was actually born in Belgium, and Franck has lived in DRC for 15 years - so their networks to have the maximum impact on the illegal chimp trade is significant. The political effort of their work is not to be underestimated.
Not all the chimps want to hug Roxane!
But most of them do.
Don’t buy me! / Don’t eat me! / Don’t sell me! / Respect me!
The chimps push and shove to get first the milk, then the bread, then the fruit, and then the yogurt and honey. Franck & Roxane feed the chimps with a natural diet, as they would eat in the forest. One of the main problems with chimpanzees in captivity is that they are either malnourished, or simply fed inappropriate foods like sweets that lead to cavities.
I was ecstatic to give Chita some milk. I could not resist shooting some video - so here are a couple of clips. Enjoy!
This will be my final post on Manioc Valley - it has been a real treat “meeting” you all. Please support Franck & Roxane - it really is a daily struggle for them, but one they embrace courageously. See you here or on the Gorilla Blog very soon! Samantha
Before I leave DR Congo I should like to provide you with the final update on the health clinic in Kanyaruchinya. It really was one of my favorite projects while I was here, and is a good example of what WildlifeDirect is all about - getting money from you to the people on the ground, and making all the difference.
This is the next batch of supplies that is ready to go to the clinic. There is a lot of cleaning product - powder for the blankets and clothes, disinfectant for the surfaces, hard core chlorine for the floors. There are also 4 baby tubs to wash the newborns, and in the yellow container at the end there is 30 liters of fuel for the oil lamps. I last blogged about this on 17th December, at which time I still had about $800 left of the $2,305 I initially raised in October. Now I have about $580 left that I am going to leave with my good friend William who built the clinic in the first place. He will purchase the cleaning materials & any other basic items that they need at the clinic as and when they request it. He is often driving past so he can literally just pop in.
The clinic is so busy at the moment, because, as I told you, it is right next to the IDP camp where we, with WWF, are supplying the fuel wood that is purchased entirely with WildlifeDirect donations.
So thank you everyone. I am going to write one last post tomorrow on this blog about my wonderful visit to JACK last week… and that will be it! Samantha
Please read the story from The Observer newspaper in the UK about tourists carrying germs that threaten great apes. This is particularly pertinent in Rwanda and the gorilla-watching tourism industry there. It is something that is always on the agenda for the Gorilla Doctors. Samantha
Just to give you a heads up that this week Julie will start blogging from Ruhengeri in Rwanda about teaching art to local kids of all ages to help raise awareness about the plight of the Mountain Gorillas.
Julie and her small team teach the children, who all live in the buffer zone of the park where the gorillas live, about nature, the environment & conservation through art. As you may know Ruhengeri is the stepping stone for the thousands of tourists who flock each year to Africa to visit the Mountain Gorillas.
Just one example of what Julie’s students can produce.
There is plenty more where that came from!
Julie & her dog Ibyiza - I just took this. I have been giving Julie blog training today.
And this is her little icon that will come up next to the posts on the home page. So keep a look out for more about this fascinating project! Samantha
Click on the link below and you will see 4 videos featuring Diddy & Innocent, who work to protect the Mountain Gorillas of DR Congo. Videos include: Gorilla Talk, Meet the Gorillas, My Favorite Gorilla & The July Massacre.
I have to say Gorilla Talk is my favorite! Samantha
Brigitta, one of our most active supporters and commentors from Switzerland, had a birthday in December. And instead of getting presents her friends and family made donations totaling $800, that went toward Gorilla Protection. Thanks Brigitta - to you and your friends and family. Brigitta also sent fantastic photos of the Mapuwa family, who she visited in July 2007. This gorilla family was last seen mid-September, amid all the fighting.
Brigitta & her birthday party.
Brigitta & other half!
Mapuwa family before the fighting broke out again.
Visiting gorillas.
Showing vulnerability.
Hanging out. Samantha
Thank you Ty for your $1,000 donation toward the gorillas - you are officially our youngest donor to date!
This story by Todd Pitman for Associated Press came out yesterday. Click on the link:
Thank you Linda & her team at Gearing Up 4 Gorillas - www.g4g.co.uk - for all their support and dedication to the Rangers who work to protect Virunga National Park and the Mountain Gorillas.
G4G, based in the UK, has supported the Rangers for almost 2 years, channeling much of their financial support through WildlifeDirect and Frankfurt Zoological Society. G4G has been a persistent voice of encouragement from the beginning, and continues to provide emergency back up in desperate times. Fundraising efforts are varied and often simply mad - from jumping out of airplanes, to shaving off one’s hair - but all the money goes in its entirety to the Rangers.
Thank you from the Rangers & WildlifeDirect.
If you want to read more about G4G click on the link below:
This is Samantha. I am now officially on vacation. I will be back early January - I don’t have my ticket yet but it will be by the 10th.
My 1st anniversary with WildlifeDirect will be on 10th January. That was when I did the first press release about the killing of Karema. That seems an age ago.
It has been an incredible year - and you have all been here to experience, witness, support, cry… and enjoy. I know it hasn’t always been cheerful - and next year will also bring challenges and frustrations. But I feel like we are all in this together. And that makes all the difference.
Thank you, Happy Holidays - and see you in 2008.
Samantha
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