J.A.C.K.

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

Category: Congo - DRC, J.A.C.K., donations, donors | Date: Jun 11 2009 | By: jack

Dear Friends of JACK,

Haven’t been posting for the last days and really apologize!!

All is fine at JACK and Franck came back last week from the US where he had positive meetings and contacts.

Today, I want to share this particular event: a huge donation, again!

Yes, as since its early beginning, JACK has been closely followed and advised by a good friend, Simon HICKS, chairman of a British Charitable Trust “Conservation Works” which aim is to give advice to projects that put endangered species first while setting up a knowledge base that evaluates, analyses and informs ‘what works’ in Conservation.

Both Simon and his wife are working in Conservation Programs and we met them in May 2006, just after JAK (the first baby we started with) had been seized by authorities.

Thanks to Simon, our NGO has established particular links with the Congolese Government. A Consortium has indeed been set up between the DRC Government, para-statal organisations and JACK. That’s the reason why JACK doesn’t work alone. We work with the Ministry of Environment (the only people empowered to confiscate wildlife), the Congolese Botanical and Zoological Gardens (who host the JACK Refuge in the Lubumbashi Zoo) and the Congolese National Parks as the aim is to release the chimps in areas protected by ICCN.

Today, Simon is no longer staying with us in Lubumbashi and because he moved to Nairobi, he decided to donate our NGO his car as a sign of friendship and collaboration between Conservation Works and JACK.

We are most grateful to Simon and his Charity for having donated this car because JACK didn’t have any.

As to mark the occasion, the Trust Merchant Bank  (TMB) in Lubumbashi without whom  J.A.C.K. wouldn’t have existed decided to create an exceptional sticker.

Being our main sponsor, the TMB wanted to share its commitment in the Protection of the Congolese wildlife through this sticker which also shows JAK, the first little one we started with in April 2006 and who was assassinated a few months later by saboteurs…

Merci à la TMB et à toute  son équipe pour son soutien tant moral que financier! Grâce à vous, J.A.C.K. arrive à réaliser de grandes choses!!!

Baby Maïka on the picture with us

Also, before his departure, Simon wanted to give Franck a very particular present: a book that had belonged to his family and which is (we believe) one of the first books ever written on pygmies or chimpanzees (1739). A wonderful present too!

Thank you Simon and Karen for all that kindness and for encouraging us. Your friendship is precious and although you aren’t in Lubumbashi any more, collaboration continues…

Roxane

6 responses so far

Category: Congo - DRC, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, donors | Date: May 05 2009 | By: jack

Hi good Friends of JACK,

Early last week I talked about ‘Little Jak’.

We actually have just received their latest parcel containing different medication that will help us face flu during next coming cold/dry season.

Getting parcels is always like getting Christmas’ presents

So, thank you again to the team of Little Jak. Chita and his mates are very grateful to you for the help you provide!!!

Vous êtes d’un grand soutien pour ces petits chimpanzés qui deviennent grands et nous vous remercions d’être à l’écoute de leurs besoins… Merci à TOUS, vous qui avez participé à cet envoi!!!

Roxane

2 responses so far

Category: Congo - DRC, J.A.C.K., Refuge Centre, donors | Date: Apr 30 2009 | By: jack

Hello again,

Bralima is a brewery which started a few months ago in Lubumbashi and which has been in Kinshasa (capital of the DRC)since 1923. It is owned by Heineken International. 

I met a lady last year but I actually didn’t know her husband was one of the Bralima managers of Lubumbashi. She visited JACK several times and asked me one day: “What does JACK need?” And because we still had no kitchen at the Refuge and because everything (food, mil bottles) was prepared in my house, I answered a container would be welcome.

So, later on, Franck was contaced to chose a container at the Bralima brewery and…

it took a few days only before the container arrived at the JACK Refuge.

 This is really a “big” donation, and JACK thanks the Fondation Bralima and its team for this. Now, we still have to put power and to build and buy all we need for the kitchen….

Encore merci pour ce geste!

Roxane

6 responses so far

Category: Congo - DRC, J.A.C.K., donors | Date: Apr 27 2009 | By: jack

Hello dear Friends,

This time, I’ll talk about an association called “Little Jak” which was created in 2006 just after the fire/sabotage that killed two of our baby ones.

Little Jak is located in France, not far from Lyon, and is run by Mr. Thivillon Pierre, the CEO of a Zoological park known for its gorillas: the Espace Zoologique de Saint-Martin-la-Plaine.

Franck & Pierre Thivillon

The aim of Little Jak is to collect funds for the orphans of our JACK Refuge, DRC. Funds are transferred regularly to Lubumbashi and very often we receive parcels from Little Jak full of interesting things: nappies, milk, milk bottles, teets, medication, etc.

My husband has always had good contacts with Mr Thivillon. When Franck was a little boy, he visited the gorillas of Saint-Martin-la-Plaine nearly every week and in some ways, these meetings with Mr Thivillon developed his passion for Great Apes.

Today, Little Jak and its team is working very hard and we do thank each of them for the good work! Merci à toutes et à tous pour votre dévouement!

Some of the members deserve to be known.  This is the case of two new and precious members of Little Jak: Carole and Hakim, a young couple very determined to make things work out positively. Their wish to help Chita and his mates is so strong they very often spend sleepless nights.

Last year, for instance, although Carole & Hakim still weren’t members of Little Jak, they collected funds and managed to send JACK a big parcel full of medication. Merci Carole et Hakim. Sans vous, les choses ne seraient pas ce qu’elles sont aujourd’hui!

Patricia is also a good friend of JACK.  Her husband and herself are fond of primates and have been with us for nearly two years now! It’s thanks to Patricia that PASA has now his hair growing back because she has recently sent us tablets. Merci à vous deux, Paty et Eric, pour être à nos côtés et pour nous encourager!!!

Of course, we thank the Park of Saint-Martin-la-Plaine and its team!!! But, we mainly thank Mr Thivillon and his wife, Eliane, to assist us as much as they can. They have done so much for JACK!

Merci de nous soutenir, Pierre et Eliane, et surtout de nous encourager et de nous faire confiance. Votre soutien nous est précieux!

Little Jak has a website telling how they started and how they help JACK/DRC. But their new website is coming soon and I’ll keep you posted once it is ready!

Before ending, JACK wishes to thank all the members of Little Jak Association as well the the different people who have adopted some of the JACK chimpanzees. Their adoptions represent a great support to our Congolese NGO and I couldn’t speak about Little Jak without mentioning their participation to our Cause… Merci à vous tous, vous les membres, Parrains et Marraines qui participez au bon développement de notre Cause… Sachez que nous vous sommes reconnaissants pour tout ce soutien tant moral que financier… Sans votre appui, nous n’y arriverions pas!

Roxane

5 responses so far

Category: Chimpanzee, DRC, donors | Date: Jan 01 2009 | By: jack

This morning, 6 a.m. Kimo and Santa getting their first milk of the year…

Don’t forget that we need YOU to continue the work. Your donations are crucial to the welfare of these little angels. If each one of you could give even 1 Dollar, YOU could do the difference to save our closest relatives !

 THANK  YOU  FOR  THEM !!!

Franck, Roxane & the Chimps

2 responses so far

Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., donors | Date: Dec 29 2008 | By: jack

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

3 responses so far

Category: Chimpanzee, Congo, DRC, J.A.C.K., donations, donors | Date: Sep 30 2008 | By: jack

Dear All,

I know, I ‘ve remained silent for the last few weeks. Lots of things are currently taking place  at JACK and the main event is the construction of two new night enclosures for the growing chimps of our Refuge.

As recently mentionned, our friend arrived from France and works started a few weeks ago thanks only to the woderful contribution of the Sweden Chimpanzee  Trust.

Despite the heat (49° C/120° F), “Francky” is working extremely hard together with the welder (Georges) and the bricklayers. Works must be finished before the rainy season begins end of October !!

Francky and Georges

Within a few days, the 13 chimps of JACK’s main group will discover their new quarters and I’m sure it’ll be an immense surprise to them. Even Coco and Mwisho who still are in quarantine will have the opportunity to move and to appreciate new enclosures. I’ll send you the pictures to share these particular moments with all of you !

As to answer to Christine’s question in regard to raising money to pay back Francky’s ticket: yes, we do have an adoption program. But, the collected funds go straight to the orphans only. We can’t use these donations for any other purpose and that’s why we suggested the friends of JACK on Wildlife Direct to help us…

Roxane

3 responses so far

Category: Chimpanzee, Education, Refuge Centre, donors | Date: Jul 01 2008 | By: jack

Dear Friends,

Today, I dedicate my post to a very particular lady from Sweden called Ing-Marie Persson. She runs a Trust called Sweden Chimpanzee Trust  and has a park in Sweden named Furuvik.

Mrs. Ing-Marie and Manda

The Sweden Chimpanzee Trust is a non-profit organization for the conservation of the endangered chimpanzees. It is coordinated with the Jane Goodall Institute, the Wild Chimpanzee foundation and Pan Africa Sanctuary Alliance(PASA).

Its role is (1) to actively support the preservation of chimpanzees, (2) to educate, inform and to raise public awareness on the situation of chimpanzees in Africa , and (3) to collect funds to support maintenance and  research of chimpanzees’ natural habitat.

Mrs. Ing-Marie Persson and Dr. Jane Goodall

Franck met Ing-Marie at the PASA meeting in TACUGAMA and since then we have become good friends .

Mrs. Ing-Marie, Mrs. Sheila Siddle and Franck

Thank you Ing-Marie for your friendship and also for your trust in JACK !    I know we’ll do a long way together….

Roxane

2 responses so far