Sheryl, Annie, Christine and Theresa,

As to reply to your questions about Tongo and Jane in the main enclosure, all is fine. Especially for baby Tongo who has been accepted immediately. This picture below summarises how Tongo is doing today.

Tongo and Shasa

Yes, as expected, it is the eldest female, SHASA, who has now little Tongo under her wings.

At the beginning, the other chimpanzees were quarreling as to know who was going to have Tongo on her or his back.

Wanza with Tongo

Today, the young chimp stays mostly with Shasa and also enjoys playing with the others.

What about Jane and Seki?

Seki and Jane both keep an eye on the little one.

Jane (left), Seki (middle) in front of Shasa and Tongo. Kala is on the right

But Jane is still very anxious and has problems to be accepted by the others. I believe she needs time to adjust to this new place full of males…The first days in the enclosure were very difficult to her and she hardly ate. Today, Jane never goes too far from Seki who isn’t that over protective any more.

Jane gripping Seki

Seki has lost lots of hairs on his back. I thought it was a disease or maybe the others groomed him too much. But it is actually Jane who is pulling his hair as she grips him all the time…

So, in a few words we can say Tongo is enjoying his new life and that Jane needs more time to settle down. Introductions are very easy and do depend on the personality of each individual.

Guess whose little toes are behind Shasa’s back???

Roxane

Dear All,

I decided today to share with you some moments we had this evening at feeding time. The chimpanzees were waiting to go inside their neight enclosure in order to get their last milk of the day. Sometimes they are very quite and patient. But tonight, maybe because I was recording, it was a very very noisy time.

The chimp making that impatient noise you’ll hear is Kala.  He’s the one who usually is impatient and gives the alarm to the others to say “hey guys! milk is ready! “.

Also, nearly at the end of the movie, you’ll see a very little one hesitating to go into the night enclosure: it’s TONGO! And JANE is the one who comes out again to fetch baby TONGO and who will last get inside… and chased again by Chita, the dominant male…

Enjoy watching!

Now, have a look at what happens inside when they are being fed…

Feeding time doesn’t last for hours and when milk is finished, they get some food, prepare their nests and go to sleep…

Kala (top)prepared a nice nest and Tongo (below) prefered the hammock.

GOOD  NIGHT !!!

Roxane

Hi Everyone,

As already mentioned, the main constructions meant to improve the conditions of the JACK ape orphans  are finished.

And the main group already enjoys staying in these facilities every night.

Chita building his nest (top) and Shasa ready to sleep (below)

Our friend and member of J.A.C.K., Franck CHAMBON, who specially and voluntarily had come from France in order to build the new enclosures left a few weeks ago.

 The chimps and ourselves are most grateful for all the good work he has done…. THANK YOU AGAIN, Franck!

As to finalize the construction project, the Provincial Minister of the Environment, Madame Thérèse LUKENGE, recently inaugurated the new night quarters.

The media had been invited to cover this particular event…

… and sponsors, friends, volunteers and friends of JACK were there as well.

In her speech, Madame the Minister insisted on the fact that the DRC wildlife and fauna has to be preserved and protected. Mrs Lukenge cheerfully thanked JACK  for the work achieved.

Also, Madame Thérèse Lukenge  publicly and officially handed over to the JACK Refuge the two recent chimpanzees that were seized last November by Congolese authorities (Kimo & and Santa/Mapima)  as well as the baby bushbaby confiscated two weeks ago by Lubumbashi inspectors of the Environment Department. (JACK started a bushbaby project some weeks ago and I will tell you more about this a another post)

Kimo and Santa (right) were surprised to see so many people around…The bushbaby is on the left

The bushbaby was for sale in this small litlle cage (top) and had a rope tightly fitting its left leg.

Franck and I had to carefully cut the rope to free the leg

Before ending this post, JACK wishes to thank the PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF KATANGA as well as the following companies and organisms for having made this enclosure project come through:

The SWEDEN CHIMPANZEE TRUST , the TWYCROSS ZOO, the COLOMBUS ZOO, WILDLIFE DIRECT, a SWEDISCH SCHOOL, the MANDEVILLE DOG CLUB, BSI STEEL and PRODIMPEX sarl.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THEM !!!!

Roxane

Good news for today!

Little Tongo and Jane have been successfully introduced into the main group.

Just a few days ago, both chimps left their quarantine enclosure. Jane was so happy to jump into Franck’s arms for transfer. But, baby Tongo refused to quit this place that had become his for the last 3 months! None of us could take him nor even hug him – Franck had no oher choice than slightly sedating him …

When Tongo woke up, he was in a bigger place. At first, Christian stayed with him in his new enclosure …

…and then, Jane came to fetch him as if to introduce him to their new home…

It took some time before baby Tongo adjusted. He is still so small and sensitive – we really had to proceed gradually!

While being in this  intermediate enclosure, Tongo and Jane could see the group, smell and even touch the other chimps.

Chita, Seki, Shasa, Jac and the other ones also went through new experiences as it was the first time presentations were done in such way.

the group staring at the two newcomers

Thanks to Francky’s constructions, no human being has to intervene  during the introduction of newcomers. Enclosures have been built next to one another - only gates have to be locked or unlocked…

D-Day arrived for the real meeting. It took a few hours before everyone calmed down. Most of the chimps of the group were excited which scared Jane too much. As a reaction to this, the young female abandonned little baby Tongo and didn’t protect him the way we had expected.

Jane  (middle) leaving Tongo (left) behind

However, two chimps of the main group, SEKI and KINA,  helped us  a lot. SEKI played an important role: he is the one who protected JANE. She was hanging on to his back all the time and no one was allowed to approach her.

Jane hanging on Seki’s back 

Lost, Tongo didn’t know what to do.

He walked and walked through the main enclosure.

It is KINA, a young female, who couldn’t stand seeing Tongo like this. That’s why she always stayed behind him. Sometimes, she even tried to hug him, to come closer…but Tongo wanted JANE….Despite being rejected, KINA kept on having an eye on the baby one and didn’t let the others come and beat Tongo.

Kina wanting to hug and touch Tongo

At the end of the day, when all the chimps were entered in the night enclosures, SEKI immediately showed Jane AND Tongo his nest. The other chimps were not allowed to come too close.

Tongo in Seki’s nest 

Today, both Jane and Tongo have settled down. They are now accepted in the main group – especially little Tongo who is being spoiled as most of the chimps of the group do want to carry him on their back. Seki is no longer “over” protective and there are no fights anymore.

Tongo is the little one with the pale face on the right and Seki is the big chimp behind him. Kina is completely on the left and in the middle of the picture is our friend Jac

Because Tongo is the smallest chimp ever introduced, Franck and I were afraid something would happen to him. Fortunately, all went well. This experience is another step forward for JACK and encourages us a lot : Kimo and Mapima will have to be introduced as well and we will not wait untill they are two years old!!

JACK wishes You a Merry Christmas and all the best for this coming Year,

Roxane, Franck, JACK and the Chimps

Friends of JACK,

We do THANK  ALL  OF  YOU  for having been on our sides for the last 12 months and for having encouraged and supported us. One year ago, JACK was a small Refuge Centre that no-one had ever heard about and we are grateful to WILDLIFE DIRECT  for having given us the chance to blog and to share our experience in the DRC.

Today, our action has been spread worldwide and the JACK Refuge for seized chimpanzees has taken huge steps forward…

Thank you again for being with us,

JACK, Franck, Roxane & the Chimps

Dear All,

It’s high time I now tell you more about the constructions we have started and which are almost finished. As mentioned previously, everything had to be ready before the rains. But, in Africa, there are always – a few? - things that make you change your plans…

Before…

The chimps of the main group have recently been introduced to their new quarters.

After…..

This introduction took nearly one week as chimpanzees are very keen on routine and don’t like when things are being changed brusquely.

Guess who first came inside? Do you think it was Chita, the dominant male? Or was it Shasa, the eldest female? Maybe little Wanza dared coming in first??? Who else?

Francky opening the gate

Well, here are the first moments: Chita came in first with Maya both hitting anxiously – but happily ! – the concrete floor of that new area.

Chita coming in first followed by Maya

Others such as Seki, Jac and Zamba stayed behind. It took them some time before deciding to discover their brand new environment…

Jac staying behind with Wimbi and Zamba

Seki hesitating

Chita came to meet Francky and hugged him several times as to thank him for the good job he has done…

Yes, what Francky has achieved for the last two months is just amazing. He worked day and night to finish what he had come for: to give the chimps of our Refuge better night facilities…

Thank You, Francky! Thank you so much for all that hard work !!

Today, the 13 chimps of our main enclosure seem happy. They have more space to sleep, to play and we also built them new nests.

Thanks to the different donors who helped us building this bigger and better place for the orphans of our Refuge JACK has made a tremendous step forward !!!

Thank you to all the people assisting and believing in us,

 Roxane

Hi, here am I again… and, as promised yesterday, I’ll update on Tongo.

Remember, Tongo arrived in Lubumbashi last August with Faustin. Tongo was the baby chimp seized in the Virungas by ICCN.

This time, Faustin is at J.A.C.K. but with Mapima.

Faustin, Mapima and Chester Zoo vet Steve Unwinn

Faustin playing with Kimo and Mapima

Of course, Faustin couldn’t come at the Refuge without seeing his first chimp baby and both were very excited to meet after such a long time.

They looked like old friends.

Tongo is doing great now and so does Jane.

 All the vet analyses carried out by PASA were good and Tongo AND Jane will be soon introduced to the main group. This will be a particular event as Tongo will be the smallest baby we will ever introduce to the others. I believe Shasa will take care of him immediately.

This morning, Faustin left Lubumbashi leaving Tongo and Mapima. I’m sure, he’ll come back again. The war in the East has a horrible impact on wildlife and ape infants are being traded as trophies… a real desastre!!!

I’ll keep you posted,

Roxane

Hello everyone!

Yes, most of you know about the latest little baby chimp who has arrived at JACK thanks to the help of Samantha. Mapima is the baby chimpanzee that was seized in Goma. You can read more about her on http://gorilla.cd/

Mapima had a good journey with Faustin and safely arrived in Lubumbashi.

Mapima arriving at the Lubumbashi airport

She is actually very young (no canines which means she is less than 1 year old!!!) and she is the youngest and smallest chimp J.A.C.K. has ever welcomed….

As the poor little one had to adjust herself to her new environment, she was rather aggressive at the beginning. Especially with human females. Faustin was the only person who could hug her and take care of her.

Today, Mapima has been introduced to Kimo, the other baby one that arrived in November from Kinshasa, and  they are spending their quarantine together at my place because of the rainy weather… Because Faustin is due to leave tomorrow, he has already started keeping his distance from the little chimp. Josefine and one of our keepers are both now taking care of the two babies. You can read more about Kimo on Josefine’s blog

Mapima (left) and Kimo

If the power and the Internet connection are fine tomorrow, I’ll try to send you more info with an update on Tongo and Jane as well.

Mapima is the 19th chimpanzee at J.A.C.K.  Each baby represents an average of 150USD a month (food, medical assistance, staff salaries). If each of you could give at least 1 USD, you’d make the difference!!!

Thank you for them!!!

Roxane

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

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