Give Orphaned Chimpanzees More Room To Roam!

Lousingo is a male who is about ten years old. As an infant, Lousingo was cruelly taken from his mother, who was likely killed by a poacher. He was then sold as a pet in a big market.

The person who bought him said that he had cared for him as if he was his son, but this is not a good life for any chimpanzee. Fortunately the police found out about Lousingo being illegally kept as a pet and confiscated him. When Lousingo was rescued and arrived at Tchimpounga, he was dressed like a human baby.

Lousingo reached Tchimpounga about eight years ago. He arrived in the midst of a difficult time, during which an abundance of rescued chimpanzees were flooding into Tchimpounga. During this time there were some years in which up to eight chimpanzees were brought to Tchimpounga.

The one advantage of this was that Lousingo was integrated with a group of more than twenty chimps his age. This allowed him to grow up in an atmosphere of fun and constant games. There he met other chimpanzees who remained his friends for many years.

Now Lousingo is living on the island of Tchibebe, with his friend Wounda and others. Lousingo’s personality is somewhat insecure and a little shy. He has no ambitions to become alpha male in his group, but occasionally he bristles his hair and performs displays for the other chimps to remind them that has grown and must be respected.

On the new sanctuary site of Tchindzoulou Island, the dormitory has been completed. This milestone will not bring great change to Yoko and his companions, who are already living on the island. So far this small group has had this giant island all to themselves, but from now on, they will have to share this space with a number of other chimpanzees who will begin arriving early in 2017. This moment will be crucial in the history of Tchimpounga. About one hundred chimpanzees will have the opportunity to enjoy the forested islands of Ngombe, Tchibebe, and Tchindzoulou.

This achievement has been the fruit of the support of the partners and donors of the Jane Goodall Institute around the world. Without them, these chimpanzees would remain in the rescue center's original facilities, which were too small to give every chimpanzee the room to play and explore that he or she needed.

Yoko, who is now one of the leaders of his group, will be challenged by other large males in who will arrive in the next transfers of chimpanzees. At the moment, JGI caregivers continue to take care of Yoko and his companions every day. Feeding them is important of course, but definitely presents a challenge. The caregivers have to approach the shore of the island carefully and dock the boat between two poles that are anchored to the bottom of the river. From there they are close enough to the edge of the water where they can unload the food for the chimpanzees, but far enough away that the daring chimpanzees, like Yoko, can’t jump in and steal all of the food for themselves. While he’s currently the alpha of the group, Yoko demands that he be first in line to receive food when it arrives. After January though, who knows if he will be able to continue making such demands!

In many of the chimpanzees who have moved to the islands, there is clear evidence that they are improving physically. Yoko is a perfect example of this. His body has now become quite muscular, especially in his arms and legs. His hair has become dense and shiny. His face is full of life and joy.