J.A.C.K.

Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, Rescued Chimps | Date: Nov 24 2008 | By: jack

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that, while we were working and organising the PASA Vet Workshop, a new baby chimp arrived at the Refuge. His name is ‘KIMO’.

KIMO is a very young male (1  year and a few months) and is extremely small. He seems alright although since the early beginning of his stay, we noticed he had a slight problem in keeping his balance…

Thanks to the PASA vets who came at JACK a few days ago, it was diagnosed that KIMO had a neurological problem and that Vit B complex and a Calcium treatment might help. We really cross our fingers the deficiency will go away. It’s very surprising to see the little chimp walking, playing  and to suddenly collapse!

When he arrived at JACK, baby KIMO had been set in the quarantine area of the Refuge. But, rains and chilly weather made me changed this decision . Also, I couldn’t stand seeing that very little one alone and lost behind the bars of its enclosure. Therefore, I changed my mind and since then, he’s been spending his mornings at “school”  at the complex and he comes back home with us at night and in the afternoons - just the way Faustin did with Tongo…

Of course, you can imagine the extra work a little baby one like this can give and that’s why I absolutely need to introduce JOSEFINE.

Josefine is Swedish. She works in the Furuvik Zoo of Ing-Marie Persson, a wonderful lady who created the Swedish Chimpanzee Trust and who actually donated JACK some funds in order to built bigger night enclosures….

As we knew we would be too busy during the PASA stay in Lubumbashi, Josefine asked us to come for helping J.A.C.K. And this was a good decision : overloaded with  tons of work (new enclosures, fund raising in Europe,the PASA Workshop preparation) it was an excellent thing to have Josefine with us. She has become KIMO’s mummy and she takes very good care of him …

Little KIMO won’t be alone that long any more. Mapima, the young female Samantha already spoke about on Gorilla.cd, is due to arrive from Goma on November 26th with Faustin. I think this will be an excellent experience to KIMO !

I’ll keep you posted as always,

Roxane

9 responses so far

Category: Background, Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., donations | Date: Nov 17 2008 | By: jack

Hello Friends of JACK,

These coming days are going to be very particular as our Southern Province of Katanga is hosting the “PASA Vet Workshop 2008″.

About 22 delegates have travelled from their place to reach Lubumbashi and for most of them this experience will be their first one in the DR Congo.

Thanks to the kindness of the highest authority of our Congolese Province, Mister Moïse Katumbi Tshapwe, the Governor of Katanga, this event has been possible and we also want to thank Madam Thérèse Lukenge, Provincial Minister of Environment of Katanga , who opened the Workshop early this morning and cheerly welcomed the PASA delegates.

It is the first time PASA organises one of its workshops in the DR Congo and it is a real honour to us to welcome the whole team here in Lubumbashi.

On Wednesday the 19th of November, PASA delegates will have the opportunity to come and to visit JACK. Mr Doug Cress, Executive Director of PASA, and Rosa Garriga, vet at Tucugama, already paid us a visit yesterday mentionning they didn’t expect to see so much.

JACK is still very young and unlike most of our visitors, Mr Cress and vet Rosa were impressed by the work that we have been achieving for the last two years…

Well, dear Friends, let me come back to you later on these days. It’s already late and we still need to have a few things done before tomorrow.

Roxane

8 responses so far

Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre | Date: Nov 11 2008 | By: jack

Dear All,

I know, I haven’t been in touch with you for the last few weeks and I do really apologize for this! I told you in the former posts that we were working a lot on the new improvements of our night enclosures and I can say that, today, most of the work is finished. Have a look at the following pictures and compare - you’ll see a big difference!

before

after

Also, the month of October was full of surprises:

1/ During a fair at the Belgian School of Lubumbashi, JACK had the opportunity to sell different things (t-shirts, caps, toys,etc.) in order to collect money for the little ones of its Refuge.

The event was very positiv. Kids in general were extremely excited as they could stay with us, read books and colour pictures of primates…

Also, JACK organised a raffle which the children had been waiting for with a lot of impatience….

2/ Franck and I were invited in Chingola (Zambia).

A party was organised for the 25th Anniversary of Chimfunshi and we both were happy to share these particular moments with Mrs Sheila Siddle and her daughters .

3/ End of October, Mr Pierre Jacquesmot, the new Ambassador of France who has recently arrived in the DRC, and his wife both came to pay a visit at our Refuge Centre.

They were amazed to see how much work has been achieved for the last two years and they really encouraged us to continue the good work!

Early November, my husband flew to France for a fund raising day that was organised at the French Zoo which has been helping us so much, le Parc Zoologique de Saint-Martin-la-Plaine.

Today, Franck is still in Europ and will be coming back soon as next week, the Governor of Katanga together with the Ministry of Environment and JACK, we are going to host the “PASA Veterinary Workshop 2008″ in Lubumbashi from Nov 16th till Nov 22nd. This event needs quite a lot of preparation and takes most of our time in addition to our every day routine at the Refuge…

I’ll  keep you posted  about this soon,

 Roxane

2 responses so far