After years of cruel captivity, two special chimps are learning what chimpanzee life should be like!
You made it possible for Mungo and Utah to be free! Four years ago, Mungo and Utah were rescued from smugglers at an airport in Cameroon. Each had been kept in its own tiny cage since they were babies. By the time they were discovered by law enforcement, they could no longer fit through the small doors.
PASA members Limbe Wildlife Centre and Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue collaborated to rescue the traumatized chimps. Now, your generosity is ensuring the chimps get the dedicated care that they need in their new home at the Sanaga-Yong sanctuary.
There is no better feeling than breaking open the cage of a chimpanzee in need and finally bringing them to safety. However, that is just the beginning of the work - it often takes years of dedicated rehabilitation for rescued orphans to recover from the trauma they have experienced.
Mungo required a lot of specialized medical care due to health problems that arose from her extended captivity. She needed to build her muscles and suffered from serious heart problems. Veterinary staff at Sanaga-Yong worked hard to treat Mungo and eventually she was able to roam acres of forested enclosures with her new family. She quickly made new friends and loves playing and eating under the Cameroonian sun.
However, Utah had more difficulty adapting to her new opportunities. It took Utah a long time to trust others and to find comfort in the presence of other chimps. At first, she lived in her own world, disengaged from the world around her. Slowly, she began to bond with her caregivers who groomed her through the fence. She stayed close with Mungo and when two juvenile chimps joined the group, Utah started playing and laughing with them like she was young again! She became more self-confident and began interacting with all the chimpanzees in her group.
Although Utah now has access to the forest, she isn’t quite ready to leave the tunnel to her enclosure yet. Instead she greets her chimp family as they come and go throughout the day and spends plenty of time with Mungo, who comes in from the forest to rest and spend time with her. The bonds she shares with her caregivers have strengthened and she takes great comfort in their company.
Because of the tragic years she spent caged, Utah may never act like an ordinary chimpanzee. We hope that one day she will venture into the trees. But thanks to you and her dedicated caregivers, she has all the time that she needs.
The road to recovery for rescued primates is often long and difficult. The abuse they suffer from the bushmeat and pet trades can continue to haunt them for the rest of their lives. Your support means that these chimps are given all the time, care and love they need to build new lives. Thank you.
Photos courtesy of Sheri Speed and Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue
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I want to share Charlotte’s inspiring story with you. Still only a baby, this little monkey has survived so much.
When Charlotte was brought to Vervet Monkey Foundation, a PASA member wildlife center in South Africa, she was in a horrific state. In an act of unthinkable cruelty, someone had shot Charlotte in the head with a pellet gun, then left her to be attacked by dogs. We don’t even know if her family managed to escape.
Staff at VMF weren’t sure if she would survive. Her left eye was swollen closed, her arm was badly hurt, and she was barely conscious. Charlotte was put into 24-hour intensive care. A trained caregiver lay with her through the night, holding her close and giving her the warmth that she should have gotten from her mother. After two days she was able to eat fruit and drink juice, but then began having seizures caused by the bullet lodged in her head.
Despite her critical state, the staff at VMF never gave up on Charlotte. Thanks to their attentive care, after ten days Charlotte was strong enough for surgery and the pellet was removed from her head. She began moving around more, running and jumping and even began reaching out to the other monkeys through the fence. Her road to recovery is still long, but she is already eager to join her new foster family!
Your support provides extra care and expert medical treatment so she can continue to recover. She is undergoing physiotherapy for her injured arm and still needs to be bottle fed. Your donations are feeding Charlotte the baby formula she needs.
Charlotte is a little fighter and has inspired everyone around her. Sadly, Charlotte’s story is all too common in South Africa, where vervet monkeys are often treated as pests and shot at. VMF has already rescued over 30 babies this year and more keep coming. Already battling a devastating third wave of COVID, political unrest across the country and the arrival of many injured animals, the sanctuary is struggling and these little orphans need your help more than ever.
We are so grateful for your generosity, which is helping Baby Charlotte and other orphans recover from their trauma. Thank you!
Yours sincerely,
Gregg Tully, CEO, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance
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Tita’s story is one of the most heart-breaking we have ever shared, but thanks to you, she is now living happily with her new family in the forest.
Little Tita was close to death when she was rescued by Chimpanzee Conservation Center, a PASA member in Guinea, and other partners. Her mother and sister, captured alongside Tita by poachers trying to sell them as pets, were already dead after trying to defend themselves and Tita. I know this kind of cruelty is difficult to read about, but because of Primate Protectors likeyou, Tita was saved from this horror. Because of you, she is now smiling again.
I’m so happy to tell you that Tita is now spending her days playing with her new family – a large group of young chimpanzee orphans. Each day, they go to the forest with their caregivers and learn the skills they need to survive in the forest. Tita spends her days in the trees, playing with her new siblings and eating her favorite foods until her belly is full. Christelle Colin, Executive Director of Chimpanzee Conservation Center, says that Tita is a sweet chimp who always has a mischievous look on her face, as if she’s always up to something.
When Tita was rescued and brought to CCC, she had numerous injuries and the worst case of trauma the sanctuary had ever seen. Staff there worked around the clock to care for Tita, and finally she began to recover. Her broken arm healed, and over time, her heart began to heal too.
Christelle reports that Tita is a wonderful older sister to the new babies that arrive at CCC. When baby Sewa was rescued, Tita cared for Sewa like she was her own sister – after all, Tita means “sister” in a local Guinean language.
Tita should have grown up in the wild, cared for by her mother and playing with her sister. That future was stolen from her, but with your support, PASA members across Africa are fighting the illegal wildlife trade and giving orphans like Tita a second chance at a happy life.
Thank you for making Tita’s new life possible.
Thanks to donors like you, we have exciting news!
When PASA and J.A.C.K. (our member in Democratic Republic of Congo) orchestrated the biggest rescue in our 20-year history, we knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Smugglers had stolen 25 young monkeys from the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stuffed them into hidden compartments in a truck, and drove them for days across Zambia into Zimbabwe. They planned to sneak the monkeys into South Africa and sell them into the international wildlife trade.
As soon as PASA learned that the monkeys had been confiscated at a border checkpoint in Zimbabwe, we leapt into action.
Every day for months, we and our partners emailed, called, messaged, and met with government officials in Zimbabwe and D.R. Congo in efforts to bring the monkeys to a PASA-accredited sanctuary. A few days ago, a delegation from DRC including Franck Chantereau, the director of PASA member J.A.C.K., drove to the Zimbabwean border to personally transport the monkeys. We are thrilled to announce that the team safely delivered the monkeys to J.A.C.K. sanctuary!
It is because of supporters and advocates like you that this historical rescue is possible. Thank you!
This was an extremely complex rescue. It took signed and stamped Letters of Authorization from the Zimbabwe Wildlife Authority, multiple Mission Orders from the Congolese government, visas, veterinarians, COVID tests, travel crates and a whole bunch of oranges and watermelons to actualize this extraordinary rescue. The pandemic complicated efforts and drew out the timeline.
During their 39-hour trek from Chirundu, Zimbabwe to J.A.C.K, the monkeys stared out of the peepholes of their wooden crates. “It is as if they know they go back home,” said the rescue team.
The monkeys spent months confined in small cages at the Zimbabwe border without adequate care while we worked tirelessly to rescue them. As a result, they’re underweight and some need immediate medical treatment, which they are now receiving from the veterinarians at J.A.C.K sanctuary. However, the monkeys appear happy and playful, climbing and leaping in their new high-quality enclosures. The large, naturalistic outdoor habitats built especially for these monkeys include feeding stations, jungle gyms, platforms, and nests that can be moved up and down for cleaning.
The monkeys, which include endangered golden bellied mangabeys, still have a long road ahead of them. They need nutritious food, medical care, and rehabilitation after months of captivity. We’ll work with J.A.C.K. and other PASA members to return as many of the monkeys to the wild as possible.
We're sure you’re as relieved us that these innocent monkeys are now safe and receiving expert treatment and care. This success would not be possible without you. We can’t thank you enough for your continuing support through months of obstacles.
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This year required courage from all of us. In October, infant chimpanzee Ujasiri was found by park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The helpless orphan was named Ujasiri because it means courage in Swahili.
Little Ujasiri was rushed to PASA member sanctuary Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center after being confiscated from the military in a conflict zone. He was dehydrated, underweight and infected with parasites.
Your support allowed dedicated sanctuary staff to save his life with urgent medical care. At first, Ujasiri would not play or groom, important natural behaviors for infant chimpanzees. The trauma he had experienced caused him to wake up panicked at night. But because of your help, he is making a full recovery. His appetite is stronger than ever (Ujasiri’s favorite snacks are peanuts, apples, grapes, and tuna!) and he has even been introduced to new chimpanzee friends. This would not have been possible without you!
Like Ujasiri, PASA member sanctuaries across Africa have had to summon courage to face this unexpected year: 2020 has been extremely tough. Your generosity has allowed the sanctuaries to survive this challenging time in history, allowing them to continue their extraordinary commitment to the animals in their care.
You kept Ujasiri safe and gave him a second chance at life. He and other rescued animals are receiving the care they need, even as the pandemic persists. Thank you for courageously standing by Ujasiri to help him and other orphaned apes and monkeys survive this year.
Best wishes,
Gregg Tully
Executive Director
Pan African Sanctuary Alliance
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