Rescue Orphaned Primates

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

Every day that the coronavirus crisis continues, more apes and monkeys are being hunted and tortured at the hands of humans. PASA member sanctuary Colobus Conservation in Kenya told me that they are responding to about 15 animal cruelty cases each month. Your support has been essential to their primate rescue efforts during this difficult time in history. We can't thank you enough. 

What’s the link between the pandemic and cruelty to primates? Here’s the truth:With the sudden loss of revenue from tourism, many people living near our member sanctuaries turn to illegal activities that harm wildlife, like hunting and the pet and bushmeat trades, to make a living. Farmers also resent primates for eating crops, especially when times are tough. They see the monkeys as pests. This can lead to inhumane treatment, like trapping and stoning.

As these cases are on the rise, you are helping our members continue their animal rescue programs. Colobus Conservation and other sanctuaries have been financially devastated by COVID-19, but your generosity has made it possible for them to address their top priority – providing food and medical treatment for the animals in their care – while still saving more animals in need.

These rescues include that of a lone baboon recently found slowly crawling outside a hotel in Kenya. An arrow pierced through his soft fur and ribs, missing his lungs by just an inch. Colobus Conservation rushed to save the baboon. Luckily, they performed lifesaving surgery and nursed him back to health. Today, he’s wild and free again!

Thank you for giving this baboon and other monkeys in need a second chance at life.  By helping our member sanctuaries survive this difficult time in history, you’re making sure that primates can be brought to safety and that our members can resume their community education programs – where they teach that baboons and other primates are intelligent creatures worth treating with respect – as soon as it is safe to do so.

Colobus Conservation and other PASA member sanctuaries depend on you to save every ape and monkey in need. Each day that the pandemic continues, more primates urgently need to be saved from horrific treatment… and no one knows how long this will last. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you have joined us to protect these innocent animals from violence. 

Sincerely,

Gregg Tully

Executive Director

Pan African Sanctuary Alliance