J.A.C.K.

Category: Chimpanzee, Congo - DRC, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, chimp release | Date: Jul 21 2009 | By: jack

Hello dear Friends !

It is high time I talked about the former game reserve of « KIZIBA BALUBA ».

Yes, many weeks ago, JACK had the opportunity to visit a wonderful ICCN place not far from Lubumbashi.

As JACK purpose and aim has always been to release the seized animals in their natural environment, it was crucial for us to find land to do so. This also became very urgent as more chimpanzees arrive from other provinces, so many others need to be rescued and the first babies of JACK are growing up very very fast!

Together with ICCN representatives, JACK decided to have a look at this 21 km² area located at about 63 kilometers Nort-East of our Refuge Centre.

Made of Miombo Forest (woodlands and gallery forests), the “KIZIBA BALUBA” Game Reserve would be perfect for a temporary site for the teenagers of JACK ready for pre-release.

But before, we need to list the plants growing on this site as well as the mammals that still live there to take the best decision for the orphans of our project.

JACK has already received the verbal agreement of the ICCN for a partnership but this new stage of the project will need a lot of paper work and finances too!

Maïka is the first chimp of JACK who has ever set foot on Kiziba Baluba!

I’ll keep you posted,

Roxane

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7 responses so far

Category: Congo - DRC, Education, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, donations | Date: Jul 14 2009 | By: jack

Hello Friends of JACK !

When Franck was attending the PASA meeting in the US last June, he met Beth of the Brevard Zoo who offered JACK a big suitcase full of books and puppets.

This Environmental Teaching Suitcase, imagine, is a wonderful donation that will now enable JACK progress in its education program as I already mentioned Conservation in Africa can mainly be done through Education.

So, end of June, Franck and I worked with kids of the 1^st Kindergarten of the Belgian Program School of Lubumbashi. 

What you must know is that for the last 6 months, Miss Séverine, teacher of the 1^st Kindergarten, had been working with her little ones (aged 3 to 4).

At this stage, you usually teach basic vocabulary: children put words on their environment and learn they live in a house, have a garden with trees… They also study what they eat, discover the different shapes and colours, start counting, etc.

This year, the little kids of Miss Séverine not only had that basic program; they also studied further as to compare themselves with a particular animal: the chimpanzee!

By doing so, at the end of the school year, the little ones knew about the habitat of the chimp, its food, its physical aspect, his facial mimics, etc. They did a wonderful work and Franck and I visited them to congratulate these very young pupils.

Also, during this particular visit, we had the Brevard Zoo teaching suitcase  and together with the little friends of JACK we built up the story of a baby lion called “Simba’, lost in the forest as his parents had been poached… Simba was looking for new friends of the forest and every child was given a puppet to play the long, long story….

I was amazed how so young kids could interact and I felt very impressed by their knowledge about chimps and their environment.

Miss Séverine has done an excellent work and it is thanks to people like her that chimpanzees hope to have a better future. Children of today will be the leaders of tomorrow and this kind of action represents a lot in the survival of the Great Apes and their general environment.

Thank you Séverine for all your patience and hard work.

Thanks also to Beth and the Brevard Zoo for enabling JACK improving its education program.

And great thanks too to Erika, Princesse, Dan, Shamin, Alex and the other pupils of the 1st Kindergarten for your interest and participation. JACK spent a great time with you!

Roxane

5 responses so far

Category: Chimpanzee, Congo - DRC, J.A.C.K., Rescued Chimps, donors | Date: Jul 10 2009 | By: jack

Hi Friends of JACK,

Several months ago I talked about a baby chimp called Doguy having eye issues. People of France and of the US decided to do something and helped in the best way they could:

1/In the United States, Doguy’s Guardian Angel, Tristan, managed to find a very kind Veterinarian, Dr Sullivan who is said “to be an involved animal advocate and care giver”. Dr Sullivan sent the drugs for Doguy to Tristan who actually came  at JACK end of June to give us the medecines.  

Tristan meeting Doguy

While being with us in Lubumbashi, Doguy’s Guardian Angel  had a better idea of Doguy’s disease and treatment and, of course, also met the other chimpanzees of JACK. Little Tongo was Tristan’s favorite baby chimp!

Tristan also recorded our every day life at the Refuge to set up a short reportage about our project.

Thank you Tristan for having flown to the DRC for Doguy’s sake and thanks too to Dr Sullivan who has been advising and following us for the last months!!

2/In France, Justine and another lady called Sylvie (two Friends of JACK having “adopted” Doguy on the http://www.littlejak.fr/ website) sent us medication too as they were very worried about Doguy being not well.

Merci à toi Sylvie ainsi qu’à Justine et à sa famille d’avoir fait le nécessaire pour Doguy. Il est sous traitement déjà et les résultats sont actuellement très positifs! Nous croisons les doigts pour la suite!!!

Meanwhile, as we were waiting for the medicines to arrive, Doguy had been separated from the others to be trained to eye drops.

Doguy having eye drops

Yes, let me tell you, it really isn’t easy at all to put eye drops to chimpanzees and that is why it took me about two months to have Doguy trained  by means of small grapes: he got some raisins once he had let me put a drop into his eye. If he hadn’t let me do so, then sorry, no raisin….

It took me hours of patience to get the final positive results. Today, when drinking his milk, Doguy can be given the eye drops in both eyes without showing any more resistance!

I therefore need to thank Maman Maguy and Maman Angeline who have been assisting me for these long hours of training…

Maman Maguy and Papa Christian giving Doguy’s treatment

Doguy’s eyes have improved thanks to the medication received from the US and from Europe. One eye has cleared up nearly totaly but the right eye still has a slight white stain…

Treatment isn’t finished yet and I’ll keep you posted on the evolution of the treatment. But one thing is sure: JACK wouldn’t have been able to get these results if people hadn’t helped us that way.

Thanks again to all of you!

Encore un grand merci à tous!

Roxane

5 responses so far