Congo wildlife centre gives orphaned chimps a sanctuary amid violence

Record ID: 1671308

  • Title: Congo wildlife centre gives orphaned chimps a sanctuary amid violence
  • Date: 4th May 2022
  • Summary: LWIRO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (RECENT) (REUTERS) RECENTLY RESCUED CHIMPANZEE BEING RELEASED FROM CRATE / STAFF AT LWIRO PRIMATES REHABILITATION CENTRE WATCHING CHIMPANZEE HUGGING ITS RESCUER CHIMPANZEE PLAYING ON FENCE / REHABILITATION CENTRE STAFF LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF THE CENTRE'S DIRECTOR, ITSASO VELEZ DEL BURGO, EXAMINING THE CHIMPANZEE STAFF WATCHING (SOUNDBITE) (French) DIRECTOR, LWIRO PRIMATES REHABILITATION CENTRE, ITSASO VELEZ DEL BURGO, SAYING: "It's horrible because the year 2021 was the worst year in the history of our centre, we had 15 arrivals. And you have to think that for every chimpanzee that arrives here at the sanctuary, there are ten more that died in the forest. In any case, the situation is serious. We know that there are other chimpanzees that need to be saved, so if we do nothing, if we do not act to protect the forest, soon it will be empty." VARIOUS OF CHIMPANZEES BEING FED (SOUNDBITE) (French) MANAGER, LWIRO PRIMATES REHABILITATION CENTRE, CLAUDE-SYLVESTRE LIBAKU, SAYING "Today the centre has a total of at least 112 Chimpanzees and 118 small monkeys. All these animals came from the hands of poachers. They are the animals that were saved while they disappeared from nature. They were found in the hands of poachers and in the hands of keepers - the people who domesticate wild animals. So we recovered all the ones we have in this sanctuary from the hands of poachers." LIBAKU WALKING IN THE REHABILITATION CENTRE VARIOUS OF CHIMPANZEES MONKEYS AT CENTRE (SOUNDBITE) (French) MANAGER, LWIRO PRIMATES REHABILITATION CENTRE, CLAUDE-SYLVESTRE LIBAKU, SAYING: "There are already groups (of apes) that are ready to be reintegrated, but the presence of armed groups in the forest is blocking us, these armed groups reside in their natural environment, in the forest. There is also poaching that continues, it is difficult to reintegrate the animals as long as there are still these armed groups in the forest." VARIOUS OF LIBAKU FEEDING GUAVAS TO THE CHIMPANZEES LIBAKU HARVESTING GUAVAS (SOUNDBITE) (French) MANAGER, LWIRO PRIMATES REHABILITATION CENTRE, CLAUDE-SYLVESTRE LIBAKU, SAYING: "We estimate that the number of animals we have in this centre is the number of families missing in the wild because when there is a small chimpanzee in a group, to capture it they (poachers) have to start by eliminating the whole family just to capture the little one." VARIOUS OF CHIMPANZEES AT THE CENTRE
  • Embargoed: 18th May 2022 11:15
  • Keywords: Bukavu Great Apes Survival Partnership chimpanzees militia violence orphaned primates
  • Location: LWIRO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
  • City: LWIRO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
  • Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  • Topics: Africa,Environment,Nature/Wildlife
  • Reuters ID: LVA001542803052022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:The young chimpanzee wrapped his arms around the neck of his rescuer in a brief hug as he was released from a wooden cage, then scampered out to play in his spacious new enclosure.
    Agents from Democratic Republic of Congo's nature conservation agency had seized the chimp from an illegal owner and brought him more than 600 km (373 miles) by road, boat and plane to the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center.
    The new arrival in April joined 111 other chimpanzees staying at the centre, a sanctuary for orphaned primates which opened 20 years ago in a village 30 km north of the provincial capital Bukavu in eastern Congo.
    Poachers often kill a young chimp’s whole family in order to capture it, conservationists say.
    "It's horrible because the year 2021 was the worst year in the history of our centre, we had 15 arrivals. And you have to think that for every chimpanzee that arrives here at the sanctuary, there are ten more that died in the forest," said Itsaso Velez del Burgo, the centre's director.
    "The situation is serious. If we don't act to protect the forest, soon it will be empty."
    Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Congo Republic host the largest number of great apes in Africa, but most species are declining in population due to a combination of factors such as forest loss, hunting and trafficking, according to the latest report by the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP).
    In eastern Congo militia violence has made it difficult to release the apes back into the wild, which is the sanctuary's ultimate goal, said Claude-Sylvestre Libaku, manager of the centre.
    "There are already groups (of apes) that are ready to be reintegrated, but the presence of armed groups in the forest is blocking us," Libaku said.
    Eastern Congo has been beset by militia violence for decades, but some armed groups have seen a resurgence in recent years, leading the government to declare martial law in parts of the east.
    Although there's no evidence that the illegal trade in great apes is linked to armed groups, the United Nations-led GRASP says their presence in the forest still constitutes a threat to the area's ape.
    (Production: Djaffar Sabiti, Nellie Peyton)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register