J.A.C.K.

Dear Friends,

End of March was very stressful here because of unrest and panick. Our boarders had been kept indoors most of the time for security and we all did our best to give them the routine they are used to. Chimps are very clever and understand immediately when something goes wrong, so the keepers and myself tried to remain as normal as usual.

However, food was missing! The people used to provide us with fruit and vegetables from outside the city didn’t dare coming to Lubumbashi (shootings, rumors, curfew, panick…). Prices at some places had increased; sometimes long talks were needed to buy just a few things…. a real nightmare when you know that you minimum need 100kgs of food / day!

Some of our Internet friends reacted rapidly and sent us very helpful donations. We felt extremely blessed as this wonderful aid enabled J.A.C.K. in giving the chimps their usual food and in the normal quantities….

Many thanks to Corinna M. (150 $), Diane A. (40 $), Fran B. (40 $), Kelly J. (500 $), Dana V. (40 $), Patti C. (50$), Amy M. (10 $), Alain S. (50 Euros), Véronique T. (20$), Laurence D. (27$)  and Oliver T. (25 Euros).

We also wish to thank our friends and family, but also our sponsors, our donors, the members and the friends of our adoption program who financially participate to J.A.C.K.

Remember, we live on donations only and that each little help represents more than you can imagine! So, in case you wish to be part of our action, you can join us on the  ”how to help” page of our English website www.jackdrc.org

Thank YOU for THEM !

Roxane & Franck

Co-founders of J.A.C.K.

Dear Friends,

Several months ago, we shared wonderful news: IPPL and their sponsor, the Arcus Foundation, had offered J.A.C.K. a substantial donation to launch  the first steps of J.A.C.K. education center: the construction of two hut-shaped-buildings were offered thanks to their generosity. The two education huts have already had a great success; visitors do like them!

first education buildings

Today, and thanks to the 2012 grant of IPPL and the Arcus Foundation, our sanctuary has been able to build another education hut (the thrid one),  and a fourth is already planned for the coming weeks as the whole complex must be operationnal by June 2013 !

education hut 3

This new education building will be teaching visitors on primates generally speaking and also on monkeys of Africa & of Madagascar. One board will introduce the main theme of education hut 4: the Great Apes.

the world of the primates

some African primates

great apes

Again, just like in the other education huts, colourful boards are painted to attract people’s interest. Moïse is the artist who has been working with us since the early beginning and he has become a real expert in drawing primates !

painter Moïse

In the middle of the hut a huge concrete gorilla is being built. Felix, the artist we are now working with, has been given the real measures of  an adult silverback which will for sure impress our future visitors!

concrete gorilla

More has to be done as you can see. At first, works were stopped because we had water issues (need water to prepare concrete) and today we are stuck because of heavy rains… But it seems the rains don’t prevent visitors from coming at our sanctuary… Remember, J.A.C.K. charges no entrance fees and is among the few places  where Conservation is being taught for free…

despite the rain, visitors come for free at J.A.C.K.

Everything will be finished in the near future  and we are convinced the two new education buildings will have as much impact on our visitors as the two first ones…. The third education building was inaugurated last week (although not completely finished!) and all the visitors were delighted with the big gorilla, the drawings and the Conservation messages.

kids inaugurating the new education building

Conservation through Education

All that beautiful work wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsors! Thank you again IPPL and the Arcus Foundation for your wish to participate into our action of saving endangered species!

Thank YOU for THEM!

J.A.C.K.

Dear All,

As previously posted, a huge greenhouse has been built thanks to the wonderful support of Su and Greg of Market to Africa!

thanks to the green garden, J.A.C.K. can grow fresh vegetables for the orphan chimps and galagos of its sanctuary

Today, some fresh vegetables are already harvested, cleaned and cut for the orphan chimps and galagos living at J.A.C.K..

vegetables for the orphans of J.A.C.K.

Thank you again and again, Su,Greg and Market to Africa, for loving THEM so much and for wishing to give THEM the best!

thank you Market to Africa !!

J.A.C.K.

Dear Friends,

The Sweden Chimpanzee Trust (SCT) has been helping our sanctuary for several years now and its donations have always been used to improve the complex.

For example, thanks to the SCT kindness, we built 2 night quarters for the main group in 2009 and 2011…

night quarters main group thanks to SCT and other donors

… and in 2010, the SCT built a huge concrete floor in front of the 5 night facilities of the main group (for more hygiene)…

2010 - night quarters main group with concrete floor in front

…and also participated in the construction of a second nursery facility.

2010 - sponsoring construction of nursery facility

In 2011, J.A.C.K. was offered by I.P.P.L and the ARCUS Foundation a huge donation to start its education centre and thanks to SCT and other donors (MMR and Market to Africa) J.A.C.K. managed to achieve the first step of its education project: the construction of two education huts which have already attracted several schools and visitors!

2011 - partly sponsoring construction of education centre

J.A.C.K. is very blessed of having met Mrs Ing-Marie Persson (President of the Sweden Chimpanzee Trust), the SCT and its sponsors because without people like them, sanctuaries like us can’t continue our mission to help save endangered species….

Thank you so much, Ing-Marie, for your Love and  Passion for Great Apes!

Many thanks again to the SCT, its team and sponsors for their trust and generous support!!

J.A.C.K.

Yes, dear Friends, we are extremely lucky because the Birigitte Bardot Foundation has reiterated for the 4th consecutive year its wish to participate to the improvement of our sanctuary in Lubumbashi, South DRC.

Year 1, in 2009, J.A.C.K. orphans were offered a huge playground and the bushbabies received brand new enclosures:

Year 2, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation helped us a lot in the construction of 3 facilities: 2 night enclosures for the main group and the start of the 2nd night quarters for the nursery group.

Year 3, a 6th night facility was built for the main group.

Year 4, 2012, J.A.C.K. has just been granted a new donation which will enable the sanctuary in building a 3rd nursery facility. Works started a few days ago and here are some pictures already of what has been achieved so far!

Again, J.A.C.K. wishes to thank the Birgitte Bardot Foundation for its wonderful donations as well as for its trust and wish to be part of the rescue of the chimpanzees of the DRC.

THANK YOU for THEM!

Roxane

en Francais, cliquez l`image

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Dear Friends,

I have again wonderful news to share as two great people: Greg & Su have sponsored and helped J.A.C.K. set up the first steps of a green house. This green house will enable our sanctuary:

1. To      produce its own vegetables for its hairy residents.
2. Reduce      money spent on food.

Greg & Su run their own company called ‘Market to Africa“which is specialised in the supply of grinding media and chemicals to the mining industry in Africa.

Both love chimpanzees and all wildlife. They visited us for the first time in September 2011. This was a short visit to evaluate the best way to help J.A.C.K.

When is was agreed they would assist J.A.C.K. in building the green house, Su & Greg organised several other trips to the DRC in order to commence the project. Market to Africa donated the materials for the shade structure and supplied the funds to erect the structure. Further,  Market to Africa supplied various plants and seeds for the sanctuary. Through donations they also managed to collect 2^nd hand clothing for staff, cleaning equipment, paint and painting equipment.

Following the elections in the D.R.C, Greg, Su and Su’s nephew Michele drove from Johannesburg to Lubumbashi with the truck full of all the equipment and donations.

This trip took 3 days.

Here are some of the pictures of the steps in the progress of building J.A.C.K’s green house.

1. Clearing  of the site.

2. Digging  of holes to fix supporting poles

3. Fixing of shade net.

4. Preparing soil and growing  of nitrogen fixation plant to enrich it.

5. Planting of vegetable seed.

6. Growth of new vegetable.

Thanks to Market to Africa, our sanctuary will become more self-sufficient which is a huge step forward. Also, Su & Greg`s friendship and love for the chimps and us keeps us going forward and makes us feel there can still be true friends on this planet.

THANK SU & GREG!

Roxane/J.A.C.K.

Dear All,

The  Paypal account via our US friend Theresa stopped working last September and it is now thanks to Sandrine, a very good friend of J.A.C.K., that a new account has been opened to collect your donations.

Baby Ekolo is the one who this time is thanking the very kind donors who sent us their aid during October and November: Amy M., Oliver T., Jackie., Andy G., Patti C., Claudine & Roger A., Martine G., Marc H., Alain S. , Simon & Karen H. and also Mathilde & Sébastien M. 

Thanks to your help, it has been possible to buy fresh fruit (oranges, apples, watermelons) coming from Zambia but know that because of these particular times we are now living in the DRC, it’s been very hard to get food for the chimps as borders are sometimes closed and no fruit is coming to Lubumbashi. What manages to cross the border is currently quite expensive and your donations has enabled us buying  the food the chimps need….

THANK YOU for THEM! Your help has been extremely appreciated !!!

Roxane

PS/ in case you also want to help, you can use the Paypal button on top right of this website or if you rather wish to send us Euros, just click here… merci beaucoup!

Dear Friends

Let me introduce you  HealingHand. This organisation located in South Africa is run by two  wonderful ladies, Su and Belinda, whose aim is to assist in the recovery of trauma victims: helping others is a way to reconstruct oneself after severe trauma and provides self confidence and recognition.

Su and Belinda contacted us a few months ago as they wished to come at J.A.C.K. for a short visit in order to determine what urgent needs J.A.C.K. had. And when they arrived, their bags were full of presents for the chimps, for the team and for us: we all were extremely surprised and excited as it seemed it was Christmas in the middle of August!

HealingHand donated blankets, treats (dry fruit, peanut butter, melasse), toys, medecines, clothes, milk, diapers,...

Even baby Luna couldn’t believe her eyes when seeing all these precious and delicious things on the table!!!

Luna interested in peanuts !!

Su and Belinda decided their first journey would help us develop enrichment for the chimps and, believe me, it really worked!

peanuts, raisins, dry apricots... the chimps were extremely spoiled!!!

Su preparing enrichment

Treats were hidden in different toys the two ladies had brought and everything was set all over the open air facilities of both main group and nursery group.

Belinda hiding treats

The chimps at first were astonished  to see all these coloured things everywhere on their playground and some of them took some time before even touching the new toys full of treats….Look at the pictures below: you can see on Jacky’s face how she finds this little toy intriguing…

"what's this?"

Jacky watching closely

"there must be something inside..."

Even the little ones of the nursery group discovered toys all around the place….

Santa discovering a red toy

…and Elia understood immediately she had to climb high up in the trees to be sure none of her friends would come and bother her while eating the dry fruits.

Elia climbing very high to eat the treats

Our J.A.C.K. team got spoiled too: bags with  clothes were offered to each worker which brought a lot of emotions to all of them! Eddy, Mama Angeline, Marcel, Augustin and Christian were extremely delighted to go back home with new clothes for their family  and for them….

Su & Belinda offering clothes to our team

HealingHand stayed only a few days with us and it was long enough to decide what the next step would be. It indeed has been agreed the South African organisation will start an organic vegetable garden at JACK to provide the chimps excellent and fresh vegetable which would also  enable JACK in reducing costs….

Belinda & Su

We all at J.A.C.K. wish to thank HealingHand, Su, Belinda, Greg and all their friends and sponsors who made this journey possible! Our little sanctuary feels privileged to have  precious friends like all of you who make this project come true!!

THANK YOU ALL HealingHand and Friends of HealingHand for this particular attention!

Roxane/J.A.C.K.

Dear All

BSI Steel is a South African based organization with several branches in other African countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, DRC). Its primary product range is made of mild (carbon) steel in all its different forms.

BSI  STEEL LUBUMBASHI is run by Manager Shazad Alibay who is a good friend of J.A.C.K. and who has always tried to help our sanctuary through discounts or steel donations.

Our facilities are made of concrete and steel. This latter is a strong component (the chimps are getting bigger & stronger!) which lasts years once treated and which can resist termites.

Wood of course could have been used as it is more natural and esthetic. But in our part of the world, termites do devastate a lot! Therefore, at J.A.C.K, there is steel every where!!

That’s why we have even built the nests of the chimps in steel – they are also easier to be cleaned every day!!

Thank you again,  BSI STEEL company and Shazad for your precious help!

Without your generosity and your wish to participate into our conservation action , J.A.C.K. won’t be able to provide a decent shelter to the rescued orphans !!

Roxane & Franck/J.A.C.K.

Dear All,

This is wonderful news to share !

YES! J.A.C.K. feels extremely blessed as our small sanctuary was granted a substantial donation from the International Primate Protection League with the help of the Arcus Foundation.

Thanks to this grant, an Education Center will be built and, as you can already see below, works have recently started… 

map the coming education center

The center will be open to all and the visitors will find information about biodiversity in general and about the unique species native only to the DRC (like the okapi, bonobo, and Congolese peacock). Also, chimpanzee habitat, history, and biology, as well as the different threats faced daily by these great apes will be described.

Some Conservation messages will be meant to individuals posing a threat to apes (poachers, soldiers buying and selling them, expatriates using them as pets)  while other messages will be aimed to people in position to help  control threats (wildlife officials, government authorities).

Until now, our  small sanctuary has always set any donations in the building of facilities and in the physical and mental welfare of its boarders. But with the rapid decline of these creatures J.A.C.K. has to expend all its efforts to increase awareness among locals but also among the people supplying this trade and the ones helping fight against this terrible trade.

Therefore and thanks to IPPL considerable support J.A.C.K. will move on to an additional stage in the DRC Conservation programme.

Thank you again, IPPL/USA, and many thanks also to IPPL supporters for your interest and wish to participate! Your help is really appreciated; it enables J.A.C.K. to make a huge step forward!!!

Merci beaucoup,

Roxane

PS/ cet article est disponible en Français sur http://jackchimp.yolasite.com/