Lwiro Primates

For the last 17 years, Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center (LPRC) has been providing a safe home for orphaned chimpanzees in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

The centre was founded in 2002, to provide a shelter for the animal victims of a brutal civil war that resulted in both wildlife and humanitarian atrocities.

Today, LPRC takes care of 90 chimpanzees. Most of these are orphaned; seized and rescued as babies from poachers as a byproduct of the bush-meat trade. Some of the rescued chimpanzees were also victims of the cruel pet trade.

Protecting the chimps in the wild  

Lwiro Primates plays a vital role in caring for a variety of confiscated wildlife and is working towards ending the illegal animal trade in the DRC. LPRC is the only chimpanzee -and monkey- accepting sanctuary in Eastern DRC; it acts as a crucial resource for all conservation organizations working in the country. LPRC is the only hope of survival for victims of wildlife crime.

Lwiro Primates follows a holistic conservation program in which the sanctuary is the keystone for community-based initiatives. LPRC empowers the community towards alternative sustainable livelihoods.

Our education and awareness program reaches more than 3.500 people per year. Visitors to our Centre at Lwiro will meet our ape ambassadors that will show the link between their world and ours, and what we as humans stand to lose without them. Visitors also see a level of gentleness and love, from both the chimpanzees and people; after all, we all deserve to be loved and treated with dignity. 

be a #championforchimps

Our goal this year is to reach at least 600 people that will help us to provide the best life for the chimps in our care. 

Ways you can help make this possible:

1. 
   
   • You can make a donation yourself.  It doesn't have to large - 5.00, 10.00, etc.  *All donations go towards nutritious food, clean water and secure shelters for the rescued chimpanzees.
2. Become an ambassador and being a voice for the chimps -> Ask 5 of your friends to help us on this important day by making a donation, no matter the amount. 
3. #makeachimpsmile