J.A.C.K.

Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., Rescued Chimps | Date: Aug 28 2008 | By: jack

Dear Friends of Jack,

I told you last time the first meeting between our two latest newcomers was a great and very positiv event.

Today, we can say at J.A.C.K that both little ones are getting on well and that JANE is taking care of Tongo.

Although JANE  lived alone for a very long time in her 4×4 , today, she is able to express all the love and tenderness she has inside.

Tongo, of course, is glad although separation from Faustin wasn’t that easy.

Fortunately, because of Faustin’s longer stay, introduction was made step by step and I can assure you Faustin was the saddest…

He had been with the little one for the last days and, back home, at our place, he told us he missed Tongo soooooo much.

This introduction has been a great success: the chimp who lived in a 4×4

will now stay forever with the little one who lived in a bag…

It seems their lives have taken a new turn. What do you think about this?

Roxane

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Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, Rescued Chimps | Date: Aug 25 2008 | By: jack

Hi, everyone!

Please, have a look at the following pictures…

Yes, yesterday, Tongo was  introduced to our sweet little JANE.

JANE was still in her small quarantine enclosure and Tongo was close to her with Faustin.

JANE had no hesitation at all, opened her arms widely and couldn’t stop from hugging the little one…

We had tears in our eyes: these moments were precious, full of love and tenderness. And, once Tongo went a bit too far from her, JANE started crying.

Tongo seemed to enjoy to be  with his new friend but he very often felt lost especially when he noticed Faustin had taken some distance.

Also, because JANE is going to move in her new quarantine place, Faustin showed Tongo the enclosure where he is soon going to stay with his friend.

It is now just a matter of time - we are sure JANE is going to accept Tongo quickly and that she will take good care of him.

Faustin is staying with us a few more days. Introduction will be finished by then and we do hope all will be fine afterwards…

Every day at JACK is a new experience for little Tongo, and thanks to JANE, he won’t be alone any more…

Roxane

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Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K. | Date: Aug 21 2008 | By: jack

Dear Friends,

Good news! Faustin, the veterinary assistant who came with Tongo, is going to stay a bit longer.

Yes! He was due to leave early this morning. But, thanks to SAMANTHA who managed to change the flight, Faustin will be flying back to Kivu on Thursday 28th.

His presence here at J.A.C.K. is too important. Tongo is extremely young and we couldn’t just let him starting this new life so abruptly.

Faustin is excellent and teaches a lot of things to Tongo. Our aim is to put Tongo with Jane sothat they spend their quarantine period together. Introducing chimps to one another - even if they are young - isn’t an easy task. So, Faustin will help us to “smoothen” this experience.

Jane met Tongo already. She had a long stick and gently tried to touch Tongo. The little one didn’t do anything - he just stared at Jane…

We really do appreciate Faustin. It is unusual to meet people overhere who are ready to save wildlife. And what Faustin does is just amazing: would you  know a lot of people who would leave their family and fly somewhere else in order to look after a chimpanzee 24 hours a day?? 

Faustin is an incredible model and many people should be like him.

Aksanti mingi, Faustin! Thank you for your help !

Roxane & Franck

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Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, Rescued Chimps | Date: Aug 20 2008 | By: jack

After a long wait at the Goma airport, Tongo and Faustin finally managed to get on the plane and to take off. The flight wasn’t that long, but these few hours lasted for ages….Franck and I were very impatient !!

Finally, late in the evening, Faustin and Tongo arrived. Franck and the authorities were waiting for him.

Tongo had been put in a carton box beause his cage was too big to enter the plane.

When we opened the box, Tongo was fast asleep.

It took him quite some time to realise he was somewhere else. It was a good thing that Faustin was with us because, although Tongo was extremely tired, he was very lost !

Today, Tongo is doing great.

This morning he even paid a visit to the orphans of the Refuge.

All the females were very interested in the new little one - epecially Shasa who couldn’t stop staring at Tongo….

Tongo is the second chimp that has been brought at J.A.C.K. in less than two weeks. You can imagine all the efforts, the work and the expenses that this represents ! J.A.C.K. is still at the beginning and we really wish that people get more involved into the cause.

Our Refuge Centre is essential to  law enforcement in the DRC. If centres like us don’t exist, authorities wouldn’t know what to do with confiscated wildlife. In some countries they have euthanasia as an immediate solution because there are no centres - we cannot accept this!

J.A.C.K. would like to thank all the people who helped Tongo and more particularly  (1) the Military Authorities who confiscated Tongo, (2) Dr Emmanuel de Merode, , Chief Warden of Virunga National Park, (3) Pierre, (4) the team of MGVP , (5) Eddy who travelled with Faustin and Tongo and, of course, SAMANTHA thanks to whom this rescue has been a great success !

Roxane

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Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., Rescued Chimps | Date: Aug 19 2008 | By: jack

JANE is doing well and starts to be very playfull.

She had some parasites  but is now healthy eats very well, adores fruit and is fond of yoghurt….

Because JANE was very thin, we had to put her in a small quarantine enclosure, but Franck has already been working on her new place thanks to your welding machine.

JANE will soon move  to a bigger quarantine enclosure and, of course, she will also be able to play and climb the trees of the open air quarantine enclosure that we have built.

But, JANE  won’t be alone any more as some of you know already that little Tongo is due to arrive from Goma. Yes, Tongo was seized a few days ago in Goma by I.C.C.N. authorities and they have asked us if we could help Tongo. Of course, we said “YES” !!!

Franck has just left for the airport. So, I’ll send you the first  pictures of Tongo arriving in Lubumbashi.

Meanwhile, enjoy this last picture: this is how I’ve just left JANE tonight :

she  had wrapped herself  up in her blankets!! Too cute, isn’t she?

Roxane

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Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, Illegal trade, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, Rescued Chimps | Date: Aug 13 2008 | By: jack

Dear Friends,

These days have been extremely busy because a new baby chimpanzee called JANE was seized and brought a few days ago at JACK.

Just like Coco, JANE has gone through a long story.

We have known about her since October 2007.

 One day, a Congolese man came to visit our Refuge and mentioned his uncle was detaining a young chimpanzee in his back yard.

When Franck and I saw the little chimp for the first time, we had a shock. The baby was a female chimpanzee of about 2 years that seemed to be in a healthy condition.

But, her enclosure was terrible! Imagine, the chimpanzee was kept in …a car!!!

Yes, “Tarzan” (that was her name) was living in an old 4×4 Pajero and wasn’t very often allowed to leave her enclosure…

The car was horrible! The dirt was never removed …

…and the young chimp used to sit at the window to get some fresh air.

A few days later, the nephew of the owner called Franck saying ” you can come and fetch “Tarzan“. She must stay with animals of her own kind”.

When Franck arrived at the place with the inspectors of the Ministry of Environment to seize the ape, “Tarzan” hab been moved to another place, the nephew had left and the other people of the house said the owner didn’t want his chimp to be taken away from him…

How strange? What was going on?

After long investigations, the Ministry of Environment heard the owner of “Tarzan” was extremely powerfulin the DRC.

Imagine, what was to be done?  No-one can go against such highranking person. Who is going to confiscate something from him?

So, to us, it meant “Tarzan” was lost and her name was to be written on the list of all the  ”unseizable” young chimpanzees kept by high authorities of the DRC.

Last week, Franck received another call. This time, it was said the owner of “Tarzan” wanted to get rid of her because she had started disturbing the whole neighbourhood.

Franck didn’t have a lot of expactations, went to see “Tarzan” and noticed that she was fine but that she had “shrimped” in size. She looked smaller than last year. The inspector of Environment accompanying Franck had the same impression.

But then, “Tarzan’s” life took a new turn. Franck met her owner who frankly explained “I am an authority and I must be an example“. Franck couldn’t believe his ears. This meant that all this work that JACK has been achieving for two years now is slowly getting results. Unbelievable!

Once the seizure documents were signed, “Tarzan” left her Pajero and was driven to JACK.

At JACK, the two boys of our quarantine, Mwisho and Coco, saw her immediately, made welcoming noises and were very excited.

“Tarzan” was very scared and hold my hand tightly…

Today, little “Tarzan” is doing fine.

Although she is very slim, but I am sure time will help her to recover and to enjoy this new life full of attention, love and care. Also, she has got a new name as Franck decided to call her… JANE !

With JANE arriving at the Refuge Centre, it means that we are now taking care of 16 young chimpanzees and that today an average of one infant ape is  seized by local authorities of Katanga each 3 months!! Your donations are crucial to the development of the legal Refuge for seized Chimpanzees of the DRC.

Before ending, JACK wishes to thank the owner of “Tarzan” for what he has done for the State of Congo - this man must be a model to so many others !

Thank You,

Roxane

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Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, Rescued Chimps | Date: Aug 05 2008 | By: jack

Friends of JACK,

You have already met Shasa, our eldest chimpanzee female who now takes good care of JAC.

Shasa arrived two years ago from Kinshasa, capital of DRC. A friend of us, Karen, had seen her for sale on a famous Kinshasa market and Karen managed to move heaven and earth to make the local authorities seize the baby chimp.

Shasa arrived at Jack in July 2006  and stayed a few weeks at Karen’s place who wanted the little chimp to adjust herself to her new life…

Shasa also is a survival of the terrible fire that took place in September 2006.

This young female chimpanzee is amazing and has several particularities :

(1) she is blind in one eye

Little Shasa lost her left eye during seizure. Once the police arrived to confiscate her, the owner of the little chimp just put her in a bag and ran away. While trying to escape, the man hit the bag against a car…and, when Shasa came out of the bag in the police station, her left eye was bleeding. A vet had a look and said the eye was lost…

(2) she has very long limbs and might belong to a rare chimp sub-species

There are  different sub-species of chimpanzees and most of the chimpanzees of Eastern DRC are short, strong and thickset.

Given Shasa comes from Northern DRC, we believe she belongs to a very rare sub-species called “Bili Apes” (named after a local Congolese town) known to have a totally different culture than common chimpanzees. Bili apes are ground-nesting chimps (they don’t build their nests in trees)  and are said to have a “lion-eating reputation”… (Read more about these Apes in the Guardian)

Shasa’s morphology is different from the other orphans of the Refuge.  If you compare the picture here below, you’ll see that JAC (= coming from Eastern DRC) hasn’t got the same morphology as Shasa (=Northern DRC).

Jac(left) and Shasa (right) 

Chimpanzees have longer limbs than humans. Shasa might belong to this tall and strong species of chimps  and DNA analysis will be carried out to know it for sure. I’ll keep you posted!!!

Franck and I have seen a male of that sub-species in Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage (Zambia) and, Bili (that’s his name) is very very unusual. He was brought at the Zambian sanctuary in September 2004 thanks to Mr Karl Ammann, a famous independent wildlife photographer and author who made investigations on the existance and the nature of these Bili Apes.

Franck and Bili

(3) she loves water!

Yes, chimpanzees usually hate water because they can’t swim.

Well, Shasa apparently seems to be very different because she loves bathing!

She swims at least three times a day - and more when the weather is very hot!

And then, she climbs on the highest branch to dry herself in the sun….

A few weeks ago, I mentionned Shasa was JAC’s mother. Today, she has got a real influence on him as, imagine, every morning now, JAC has a bath. See by yourself on the following picture!!  Incredible!

Jac bathing

When she arrived, Shasa was just a tiny little baby chimpanzee.

Shasa 2 years ago

Today, she has become a very big chimpanzee with a lot of power in the main group.

Shasa today

If Karen, our friend, hadn’t seen her, Shasa would have been lost and we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to know this wonderful female. Thank you again, Karen !!!

Roxane

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