For the last few years, Roxane, co-founder of J.A.C.K., has been travelling to Zambia every Summer to stay a few days at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage. These short visits are always filled with Love as meeting Sylvia & Sheila is always a very intense moments! Through this stay, Roxane has also had the opportunity to meet Dr Thalita Calvi (veterinarian) as well as the different volunteers currently working at the Orphanage! It was very nice meeting people from all over the world having the same passion: chimpanzees!

Bachi, one of our 14-year old males has just crossed the rainbow bridge… We feel all very down…

My dear Friend, I love YOU and I will always Love YOU!

We all miss YOU already…

🌿BAPU is enjoying every single moment if her re-integration in her group! We are all so happy to see her healthy and well!

Remember, Bapu is the young female chimpanzee that broke her tibia last September. She underwent surgery twice and had to be isolated in a small cage to prevent her from standing on her leg.

Bapu did well: her bone healed up well and the chimp was very very patient!

Then, when the doctors decided she could go back into her group, Bapu had to be introdced again to her friends. All of them were so happy to see her. If you look at the footage below, it is the first time Bapu goes outside in nearly 7 months and her friends vocalise a lot when she coes to greet them in front of the other night rooms!

Bapu’s case has been a tricky case: it was the first time J.A.C.K. had to deal with a fractured bone! Therefore, the sanctuary and its team has been extremely grateful to BOOZAA for its valuable support!

Yes, last year, the BOOZAA team organised a musical event in Brussels and donated the benefits of it to the Congolese sanctuary. Such great help that totally covered the two surgeries Bapu went through, as well as the different X-rays that had to be done in addition to the blood tests  made to follow Bapu closely during the last 6 months . Without BOOZAA and its precious team, J.A.C.K. wouldn’t have been able to provide young Bapu with the veterinary assistance she needed urgently!!!

Many thanks again to Patricia D, to Gaëtane and all the members of BOOZAA for their wonderful support!

For days we have been begging some water at different places in town. Despite of this big issue, J.A.C.K ‘s team does its utmost to provide the chimps with their routine. Many thanks to all the members of our team for these valuable efforts!

Remember, Doguy is our one-eyed chimpanzee.

Last February, we thought he would have had to undergo surgery as a growing cataract was said to be harming his remaining eye… However, after two eye specialists checked his eye, no surgery took place and the surgeons advised Doguy would need an eye onguent when dry season starts.

Today, 3 months later, our austral Winter is on its way along with its dust, heavy sun and dry air. We managed to find Doguy’s eye treatment in Europe and our young resident doesn’t seem to complain. He looks happy and he is enjoying outdoor life with his friends.

We are so glad he is feeling well!

Young chimpanzee MATA has just had his 5th Anniversary at J.A.C.K. time is flying by!

Mata’s anniversary is very imprtant to all of us at the sanctuary since he represents a victory against ape trafficking in the DRC. This young chimpanzee was confiscated 5 years ago and, since then, no other chimpanzees have been seen on the streets f Lubumbashi nor smuggled through the zabian border! Mata s the proof that wildlife trafficking can be stopped and he also represents HOPE to all the other wildlife organisations working daily to stop that illicit business!

GROOMING session this morning! Our residents look extremely busy as grooming is an important social behaviour among chimps of the same group… it shows acceptance and respect

J.A.C.K. started 13 years ago and the rescued baby chimpanzee orphans we rescued then have now turnt into strong and nearly adult chimpanzees. Since our sanctuary is located in the town of Lubumbashi, one of our priorities is to keep our complex secure and to keep the people living in the neighbourhood safe. Even if all our residents grew up close to humans,we will never know what their attitude will be in case they escape…

This is why last year the BRIGITTE BARDOT FOUNDATION accepted to start new developments in order to enforce the security of the open air enclosure of our main group (sub-adults).

Huge metallic “shields” have thus been bent and fixed on top of the walls surrounding the playground. It is Mrs Itsaso Velez del Burgo, from Lwiro (Bukavu), who showed us how to curve the metallic plates. J.A.C.K.’s welder built the curving machine and long weeks of hard work were awaiting him since welding, curving and fixing these heavy “shields” took a lot of time and energy!

Thanks to the priceless support of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, J.A.C.K. managed to enforce the security of the enclosure of the group of sub-adult chimpanzees and also part of the playground of the Nursery group II.

These huge “shields” are a wonderful way to secure facilities and we all at J.A.C.K. feel extremely grateful to the Foundation for this wonderful support!

Of course, it would be better if our residents could be in the forest already, but since this point has not been clarified yet, we do the best we can to keep them healthy and safe.

Many thanks again to Mrs Elodie of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, to her team and donors for their trust, their help and for their wish to provide our hairy family with the best care!

The recent weeks have been quite hectic regarding climate. We have never seen such heavy rains and winds have never blown that much!! Roofs were blown away. Trees fell at several places of the town thus breaking houses and walls….

As a result, at J.A.C.K. , the main wall separating our sanctuary from a main city road collapsed and about 60m of the same wall were near to collapse soon as well. Therefore, the wall  had to be rebuilt at the soonest for security reasons since the broken wall was on open gate to any unwanted guests!!

J.A.C.K. has had the chance to have an emergency support from the PAN AFRICAN SANCTUARY ALLIANCE (PASA) to repair the wall very quickly. It was election times. You could feel tensions everywhere and people were afraid of total chaos…

Thanks to the PASA, construction could take place immediately to keep our chimpanzee friends safe from harm. The broken wall was located 51 m from their facilities only…

Unfortunately, later on, we had more wind and rains… This time, a tree fell on the same wall we had just restored …

We tried to remain very positive as, in our bad luck, we have been extremely lucky no people and no chimpanzees got hurt!

Also, during these tough times, we really appreciated the presence of the two armed Rangers who stood close to the broken walls and patrolled day and night! Thanks to the wonderful support of the INTERNATIONAL PRIMATE PROTECTION LEAGUE (IPPL), and since 2013, J.A.C.K. has had two ICCN Rangers (DRC wildlife authority) to keep the sanctuary and its residents free from danger!

Many, many thanks again to PASA and to  IPPL for their trust and valuable support! Your help made us feel less lonely in these gloomy days!!!