Build a Home for Orphaned Chimps in Cote d'Ivoire

Many of you know that I moved to Côte d'Ivoire a few years ago to work with orphaned chimpanzees and help start up a sanctuary.  

Unfortunately, due to various political and other pressures, the agreement necessary to begin construction was not finalized. I had to return home in 2018, but was able to visit a few times over the course of the next few years.

In just one year, I witnessed the death of 6 baby chimpanzees, many of whom had become my family. This included 'C' from the photo above, whose papaya video went viral and gained over 12 million views and millions more comments. Unfortunately, when this video was shared, people failed to mention that this cute baby had been ripped off the body of his dead mother's back to be sold as a pet to a private zoo. Without proper care, he died a few days after this photo was taken at a bit over 6 months old. 

A whole three years later, I'm thrilled to say that Akatia is finally ready to begin constructing the sanctuary to provide care for orphaned chimpanzees like 'C'!!!

Akatia has already acquired two baby chimpanzees who are eagerly awaiting their return to the forest. There are also at least a dozen other chimpanzees living in horrific conditions in Abidjan, waiting to be rescued and reintroduced to their natural habitat.

Today, I'm fundraising to ensure no more babies die of completely preventable causes. The ultimate goal is to not need sanctuaries at all, but until then, sanctuaries are necessary to combat the bushmeat and illegal pet trade, and provide a humane place to live for animals rescued from the trade.

Your donation today will go towards building the new sanctuary in the forest that will be able to care for confiscated chimps as we fight to end the illegal bushmeat and pet trade. Thank you for caring!

*In memory of J, Z, T, C, E and U*

Continue reading for background on the illegal wildlife trade that is creating so many orphans and driving chimpanzees to extinction:

Since 2016, Cote d'Ivoire has become the trafficking corridor for all of West Africa. Creating a sanctuary is a necessary tool to end the bushmeat and illegal pet trade, both in Cote d'Ivoire and throughout the region.  Western Chimpanzees are critically endangered with more than 80% being lost in the past 20 years. The situation in Cote d'Ivoire is even more dire, with 90% of the wild population disappearing in the past two decades.  As long as there is no sanctuary available to take in chimps that are confiscated from traffickers, it is impossible for the government of Cote d'Ivoire to enforce laws preventing the capture and sale of this endangered species.

Most of the confiscated baby chimpanzees have serious health issues and have suffered serious trauma.  Many babies arrive with bullet wounds which they often receive while on their mother's back when she is killed . One of the priorities of the sanctuary is therefore to care for orphaned baby chimpanzees like the one pictured here to restore both their physical and emotional health.  Akatia will provide a home with humane conditions and access to the forest in semi-liberty in the hopes that they can one day be released into the wild.