JAK — IT ALL STARTED WITH HIM (April 2006)
✨✨✨On April 6th, 2006, our lives changed forever. A very sick baby chimpanzee, confiscated by the authorities of Haut-Katanga, had just been dropped off in a cage at the Lubumbashi zoo.
We named him JAK. And that was the beginning of our commitment.
✨✨✨ JAK WAS VERY SICK At that time, our organization didn’t exist yet. Keeping a chimpanzee was strictly forbidden (it still is today !) But JAK was dying. He had to be saved ! We submitted a request to the authorities, asking to take JAK home so we could care for him and give him all the love he so desperately needed. After 21 anxious days, we were granted an exceptional waiver: for 3 weeks, JAK stayed with us and received everything he needed to regain strength and health.
✨✨✨ JAK IN HIS GROUP Once he recovered, JAK joined two other chimpanzees already at the zoo: CHITA and TOUZO. Then two new orphans were confiscated: BACHI & SHASA. Very quickly, they became five great friends. As our association didn’t exist yet, we took full responsibility: food, medical care, and the arrangement of an island within the zoo.
✨✨✨ LIGHT BEFORE THE DARKNESS By day, the 5 young chimpanzees lived peacefully on a small island inside the zoo, cared for by two devoted keepers. At night, for safety, they were placed in an enclosure near the zoo’s security guards. But in Lubumbashi, our work to save the these baby chimpanzees was starting to bother people. The trade was lucrative. Lubumbashi was a major hub for chimpanzee trafficking.
✨✨✨ AN ARSON ATTACK On the night of September 5th 2006, a criminal hand set fire to the enclosure where the five baby chimpanzees were sleeping. JAK was burned alive. TOUZO survived a few days with third-degree burns before passing away. CHITA, BACHI, and SHASA miraculously escaped the flames. This act was meant to stop us. This tragedy could have marked the end of our work, our fight to rescue all these lives. But instead, it became our driving force.
✨✨✨ JAK, NEVER FORGOTTEN JAK was more than the first chimpanzee we ever rescued. He was the spark that fueled our passion. The beginning of a mission. The reason we chose to stand up, speak out, and never back down. His story is etched into everything we do. Every baby we save, every cage we dismantle, every life we protect — it all carries a piece of JAK. He is gone, but he lives on. Through us. Through you. Through J.A.C.K. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive.