As Chantal told you last week, my family and I took 12 days off. Since we started JACK two years ago, we had never had the opportunity to take more than 2-3 days off all together. When you are starting up a Centre like JACK, it isn’t easy to find a reliable  person ready to take over such huge responsibilities. So, Chantal felt fine to run JACK on her own, obliged us to have a break and did an excellent job! THANK YOU again, Chantal,  for having devoted your time to the Refuge and to the chimps!

In a previous post, I spoke about the welding machine we ordered and wanted to buy with your donations. Well, a few days ago, Franck bought the machine and it is now at the refuge.

Because the price of the machine had been increased, Mister Deepak Parnami, the manager of the YAMAHA Shop of Lubumbashi, agreed to make a discount keeping thus the same amount as asked and collected thanks to your kindness. Thank you again, Mister Parmani !

The purchase of this machine is very very important. JACK must improve its facilities and provide better night accomodation to the growing chimpanzee orphans. The works will start in September and will be finished by the beginning of the rainy season (early November). I’ll keep you posted and will send you the pictures !!!

Again a great THANK  YOU to all of you : this purchase couldn’t have taken place if you hadn’t sent JACK the money ! And, remember, your donations are crucial to the development of our small rescue center for young chimps seized by local authorities!!!

Roxane

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My name is Chantal. I am a volunteer at JACK and I am also baby JAC’s “godmother” as JACK started a chimpanzee adoption programme a few months ago and I have adopted “JAC“.

Roxane and her family needed a well deserved vacation and I proposed to take care of the chimps during their absence. 

During the summer vacation (July and August) almost all expats go back to their home country and I was all by myself to assume that huge responsibility.

But OK, there I was…..with all the recommendations given by Roxane (she left me with quite detailed instructions on whom to contact, what to buy, where to go, what to do, etc…)  

So let me tell you how a week looks like for Roxane (or at least, like I experienced it). 

First, you get up at 6.00 am, prepare the milk for the chimps, make sure the yoghurt, fruit, vegetables and bread are ready.

The last check before going to the refuge

The day mobile must be loaded, the notebooks where the nannies make their daily reports must be read and, before leaving, you have to check if you need to take any medicine with you and see that the blankets for Mwisho and Coco are ready (they are in quarantine and it’s winter time so they need blankets for the day).

My car is loaded and ready to leave

When you have everything, it is already 7.15 am and time to go to the refuge. At the refuge, the first thing to do is to check if electricity is on in the open enclosure and to see if all the nannies are present (most of the time there is one late…).

Checking the electrical fences

Then, you have to hurry to feed the chimps who you know are impatient and don’t stand when we are late.

JAC too impatient an crying for his milk

Because it is winter, you have to wait till the temperature is high enough (around 25°C) to let them in the open enclosure. While doing so,you check if there is no one that looks sick or hurt.

Once this is done, you collect the dirty blankets, the dirty bottles, the night mobile and check if anything is needed for the refuge. By then it is already 8.30-8.45 am.You bring the dirty things back for cleaning and start running for the food provisions. A call to the bread provider, another one to the papaya provider, another to the two farms (fruit or vegetables), to the store (for milk and other fruit if you need more than the farm can give) and you spend the day driving from one place to the other one (sometimes as far as 30 kms outside the city).

Collecting bread from a local bakery

Selecting fruit and collecting vegetables on farms

By 3.30 pm you must be back for the 2^nd run of milk bottles: you prepare the bottles, make sure the night mobile is loaded, see if you have the food for all, prepare coffee (with sugar!) for the night team, count the blankets and put special eucalyptus oil on them (it prevents the cold).

Preparing warm milk at Roxane’s place

Then, again, you rush to the refuge (as already told, the babies don’t like to wait). At the centre, you must make sure to show only the milk bottles when you get in as Mwisho won’t accept his milk if he sees the food.

Last milk bottles of the day

Once Mwisho and Coco of quarantine have had their drink, you prepare the fruit and vegetables in the night enclosure and get the babies in for their milk. Once this is done, you let them in the main night enclosure where they get their meal.

When everything is OK with the chimps, it’s time to take care of our two new little boarders: bush-babies. They usually come out of their “nest” around 5.00 pm and wait for us to feed them. They are just adorable.

JACK has started a new project with bushbabies, also eaten and poached in DRC

By then, it is already around 5.15 pm and if everything has gone right, the nannies have now departed and the night team has arrived. You check the open enclosure, make sure the pool and the chimps’playground are clean and if there is no rubbish thrown by visitors.

Cleaning the refuge and the playground

Then it’s almost night (sun goes down pretty early in Congo in the winter season) and time to go back home to clean the boxes and the milk bottles to start a new day.

But this “ideal“ day occurs only once in a while. What I forgot to mention is that Roxane not only takes care of the refuge but she is also teaching, managing a hotel, updating JACK blog, taking care of her kids and husband ! She is just AMAZING!   
 

For me this has been an interesting experience though being all by myself was sometimes stressing especially as I live in the suburbs of Lubumbashi while Roxane lives in the center and, apart from the refuge, I had to take care of two dogs located in different parts of the city. Driving in Lubumbashi can be extremely irritating, not only because people don’t seem to know anything about driving rules but mainly because as a foreigner you keep being harassed by the local police who want you to pay them a drink: there is not a single day when I wasn’t stopped sometimes up to 3 times.   

Almost everything went well: one of the nannies got hurt and had to be hurried to hospital for sewing the deep cut she got as she was bleeding a lot. Mwisho took my finger instead of the banana I handed him and bit it: lucky for me it was a “gentle bite” and though it was painful and we could definitely see his teeth printed deep into my finger, he didn’t shut his mouth otherwise I would probably have only half a finger left over by now.

Like in most parts of the city, we have no water since 72 hours at the refuge so I had to bring containers from Roxane’s place to fill in the big container we have at the refuge.  

Water is needed to clean the blankets and the enclosures but also to prepare food and milk

Shasa has now taught little Jac (Jac is my godson and he is the “naughty boy” of the group: he does all kinds of mischievous tricks but I just adore him) to bathe and they do this every morning and afternoon, sometimes taking up to four baths a day. Shasa bathes completely while Jac bathes till the waist. The other chimps don’t seem to like bathing as they never get into the water.

JAC bathing

JAC, my “naughty boy” in my arms

Coco and Mwisho have become good friends and play together quite a lot which is real nice to watch. Coco had unfortunately caught a cold because Mwisho usually steals all his blankets and in the morning, we often find Coco with only one blanket while Mwisho has got 5. Today, Coco is doing fine and the flu has gone.

Coco and Mwisho playing

Roxane and her family are coming back tomorrow at noon and l am leaving for Belgium tomorrow at 3.00 pm: THANKS GOD, the chimps are doing well, they are happy and safe      

Written by Chantal Jacques (volunteer at JACK refuge and Jac’s godmother)

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Just wanted to give you some update of Jac, our little friend I started blogging with…

Introduced into the main group last February, Jac received protection of the eldest female, Shasa.

SHASA taking care of Jac

Today, Jac has found his place in the main  group and gets on well with all his mates.

Jac loves eating. His previous owner didn’t feed him properly and the chimpanzee baby was underfed on his arrival. Now, you immediately recognise him: look at his tummy!

Jac has made a lot of progress and his appearance has changed completely: compare both pictures below - you can hardly say it is the same baby chimpanzee…

BEFORE (september 2007)

AFTER (June 2008)

Rescuing him has been a tough and stressful experience, but it was worth doing it! Jac has recovered all that pain he suffered from and now seems to be happy among the other chimps of our group…

Dear Friends, although now each of you can see the donations on the blog, I do thank you again for your help and support. Donations are very important for the development of our Refuge. Thank you a lot!

Roxane

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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

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Last week, I remembered you about the money you sent end of April/early May for the purchase of the welding machine.

The bank has called us  saying your money finally arrived. But, when Franck went to buy the machine, bad news: no welding machine was left. Here, it’s always like this: once you see something very particular in a shop, you have to buy it at once !! So,  JACK has immediately ordered a new one that will come midth /end of July. But, don’t worry, once again, I’ll keep you posted and send you the  pictures of the machine.

Also, in addition to your single donations of May, we received your one-time donations of the previous months and wanted to show you what we did with this money.

We had no gate at the entrance of the Refuge Centre. Visitors very often managed to enter the complex, reached too easily the quarantine area putting the isolated chimpanzee babies at risk (quarantine place is close to the main entrance of the Refuge!!!)  Therefore,  we decided to put a gate to prevent anyone from coming in.

BEFORE: NO GATE = NO SECURITY

TODAY : A NEW GATE = SECURITY 

More things have to be done to improve the complex (build extra night facilities, bring electricity as we still have no power, add extra fencing around the complex).  

Proof of purchase

But, today, and mainly thanks to your donations, security has been enforced ;  this, again,  is a new step in JACK’s everyday life. THANK  YOU !!!

 Roxane

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Winter started a few weeks ago. Yes, here in Central Africa, we have a cold season from May untill end of October. Nights are colder, 5 to 8 degrees Celsius (41-46°Fahrenheit) which is quite chilly as we are used to 24 to 28 degrees Celsius (75-82°Fahrenheit).

June and July are the coldest months. As the weather changes, the grass turns color from the green of the rain season to the yellow of the cold and dry  season. 

Of course, cold weather is  synonymous with flu. Humans get colds but the chimpanzees of the Refuge also. Therefore, this year, to prevent them to become sick, we have decided to let them stay a bit longer in their night facilities.

Stacy told you last week the babies were fed at 7.30 am before letting them go outside. Today, they are still fed at the same time, but they go out around 8.30 when the sun has already started to warm up the outside enclosure.

So, once they come out, some climb on the highest branches to get warm …

… and others huddle up against one another.

 I hope this year all will be fine as , last winter, I remember, most of chimps of the main group had flu in July …

Before ending, I want tho thank the following donors. End of May, we have essentially received monthly donations  : Anonymous (10), Birgitta S (10), Kevin C (10) and again a monthly donation of Anonymous (30)  for June.

Also, I hope I will be  able to post an update soon related to the purchase of the welding machine . Remember, on April 28th, in the post about  Coco, I asked for your help. JACK wanted to buy a machine that could help improving the night enclosures of the babies. Well, since then, plenty of documents had to be filled in and JACK has been recently told donations are to arrive in Lubumbashi in the coming days… So, Franck and I are crossing our fingers : this machine is very important and we will let you know as soon as we receive additional information.

Roxane

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My name is Stacy Best.   I am an American ex-pat living in Lubumbashi.  I have been volunteering at JACK for approximately 3 months.  I am a Registered Nurse but am not currently practicing here in DRC.   My daughters came home from school one day and told me about JACK.  I contacted Roxane to see if more volunteers were needed.

 I assist with the morning bottles Monday through Friday and with the evening bottles Tuesday through Friday.  There are four of us that feed, two nannies, myself, and another American ex-pat, Kori Howard.  

Feeding time early in the morning: it must go very fast as the orphan chimpanzees are not patient

When we first walk into the feeding area at 0730 the chimps are very vocal and anxious for that first bottle of warm milk.  It’s a bit overwhelming to the senses!  All those arms reaching out and each one of them wants to be first. Chimpanzees are not patient.  We initially hand out each of the labeled bottles that contain warm milk and yogurt.  When the chimps are finished drinking their milk, they hold out their empty bottles for a refill.  Some drink two bottles, some drink three.  Some of the chimps, especially Shasa and Jacky, try to steal others’ bottles as well! 

WANZA

Zamba and Wanza drink out of bottles with nipples. 

ZAMBA

The rest of them drink out of plastic baby bottles without nipples.  When they are finished with their milk, they just drop their bottles.  Sometimes there is still milk in the bottles and they like to watch the milk pour out.  I have come out of the morning feed with milk in my hair, on my shoes, and down my back. 

 The morning feeding takes less than 10 minutes.  Once feeding is finished, one of the nannies goes out into the enclosure and Kori and I stand on an observation ledge while the chimps are released into the outdoor enclosure.  We then observe the chimps for injuries.  We can see if one of them is favoring an extremity while playing or walking with a limp.  It is easier for me to identify the chimps while they are outside.  They all have very distinct personalities and behaviors.

Enjoying the first sunbeams of the day

 In the afternoon my daughters, ages 13 and 11, also help with the feedings.   They have specific chimps that they feed.  One feeds Zamba and one feeds Doguy. 

After the evening milk, the chimps are given their fruit, vegetables and bread in the nighttime enclosure.  It is very interesting to observe their behaviors while eating.  For example,   Wimbi likes to eat all the bread.  He takes as much as he can hold and sits in the corner eating it.  Jac, on the other hand, likes to sit in the middle of the food.  The last activity of the afternoon feeding is the passing out of blankets.  Chita and Seki start whining if the blankets are a little late being handed out. 

Chita whines too much if his blankets aren’t ready

My family and I are very proud to be associated with the work that JACK is doing.  Not only are we volunteers, but we have adopted Zamba as well.  Roxane and Franck work tirelessly to help the chimps and every bit of help they receive is appreciated.

Stacy

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Last Saturday, the Belgian school of Lubumbashi organized a Mother’s Day Programme. This particular event usually takes place  in the month of May and all the kids of the primary school  are on the stage.

This year, and thanks to some kids of the 5th Grade, the Programme was slightly different from the ones of the previous years.

Yes, as Mrs. Sandrine and her pupils of the 5th grade have known our NGO since its early beginnings, they decided to do something very unusual during the celebration: they wanted to speak on behalf of JACK .

Therefore, small groups of pupils went  straight to adults. Their aim wasn’t  to get funds only. They mainly wanted to  make people aware about the trade of Chimpanzees through Katanga Province and to tell people to stop buying or eating Great Apes. Our young spokesmen clearly explained JACK’s purpose and objectives and some of them even convinced parents to join JACK in its awareness programme.

Adults were very surprised to see such determined youngsters  involved in fundraising for the rescued chimpanzees of JACK.

 Also, during the Programme, JACK had been allowed by the school  to sell a few things thus collecting funds in aid of the chimpanzee orphans. Two ladies, Mrs. Chantal and Mrs. Sandrine (both teachers at the Belgian school) actually worked all afternoon for JACK. 

This experience was interesting as well for us as for the teachers and the young kids of the 5th grade. They had set themselves a particular mission to accomplish and , although it was their first experience, this has been an excellent and extraordinary achievement!  

Franck and I are extremely proud of what they all have done:  imagine, the sale and the collected funds of the kids have enabled JACK in paying last month’s salaries (7 workers of the Refuge)  - isn’t that wonderful ?

Well done the 5th grade! And well done dear teachers! The chimpanzees of the Refuge Centre are grateful to all of you for  these great things that you have achieved for them. MERCI   BEAUCOUP ! !

Roxane

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Fifteen chimpanzees are now staying at our Refuge Centre and Mwisho is the orphan we worry about most. Arrived last December, he still keeps himself isolated and selects the people he wants to have contacts with.  

For the last weeks, Mwisho had a swollen thing, something like a “bubble” in the bend of his right arm. 

 As we thought it was a cyst, and because we wanted to have a medical check up made, a Congolese vet came to  anaesthetize the young male .

To our surprise, the little “bubble/cyst” turned out to be completely different than expected as we all discovered that it was a piece of metal that had settled in his arm.

Then, when looking closer, we realised the “thing” actually was the fragment of a bullet.

How could this have occured? Maybe, when the poachers attacked the group of chimpanzees  to catch the youngsters, Misho might have been slightly hurt… or, maybe, this is a fragment of the bullet that killed Mwisho’s mum… A lot of theories can be given for this fragment and we will never know the truth. Though, one thing is sure: Mwisho is now rid of this ”thing” and has fully recovered.

We still don’t know when Mwisho will join the main group and remain certain the earlier the best. This traumatised chimp orphan has problems to deal with humans,sure , but the aim at JACK isn’t to domesticate chimpanzees .  So, we are thinking of splitting the main group in two: (1) the group of the very young ones who still need contacts with the surrogate mothers and (2) the group of the elder ones, like Mwisho, who are already very independent  and who no longer need to stay close to humans. But, doing so means JACK takes a new step forward and it won’t be an easy task to separate individuals who have been very close. Also, in order to organise these two groups, we need more space , extra fencing, advice, additional help and support …

We’ll keep you posted!

Roxane, Franck and the Chimps

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.

Franck and I have been very busy recently as the Technical Advisor of JACK, Franck Chambon, who is also the animal keeper of the French zoo  that helped us after the sabotage, came to work with us for a while.

Because we needed help and advice, our friend and advisor, Franck , decided to take three weeks off from  the French zoo  where he works, paid his own ticket and flew to DRC.

Franck Chambon

During his stay,  he devoted all his time to the improvements of JACK’s facilities. I’ve told you already the orphans are now becoming stronger and taller and we absolutely must organize bigger and extra accomodation for them. Therefore, Franck drew the plans of the night facilities that we intend to build once we get the funds.

Thanks to Franck’s visit, two important improvements already have been carried out:

(1) an extra outside enclosure has been finalized and this area full of trees will help the chimps for their future release in the wild

Chita and Wanza discovering the new enclosure

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(2) Mwisho, the eldest chimp at JACK, has been given confidence. This chimp has been very aggressive to all of us since his arrival in December 2007. Seized in Kamina by Lubumbashi authorities in October 2007, the chimp couldn’t be transferred from one city to another because  the seizure documents were said not to be legal…

Mwisho, the eldest chimp at JACK

So, imagine, Mwisho who had been set in a small metallic cage, remained stuck in that same cage for about two long months with three big ropes around his neck.

Stuck in a small enclosure for about two months

His owner had kept him with ropes and a wooden bar to control him as the chimp was known as very nervous and too active…

 Mwisho at the place of his owner

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Mwisho arrived at JACK with a severe psychological trauma and nearly bit the ones who came too close to him.

At the beginning, Mwisho stayed all hunched up in a corner refusing people to come close

Thanks to Franck Chambon’s experience and knowledge in Great Apes, Mwisho has made a great step forward and now accepts to be touched and groomed.

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Coco, the latest newcomer, has been his neighbour for the last weeks, but you can still feel Mwisho remains on the defensive.

Coco

Mwisho is doing a lot better today, and still needs more of attention and care. Our friend Franck has done such wonderful job and we are really grateful to him to have come so far, to have spent time, patience and determination into the Refuge Centre.

THANK  YOU, Franck!

Dear Readers, here comes the last chapter of my weekly update: your donations! We couldn’t believe our eyes when we received the Wildlife donation report this afternoon!! Really, we cried for joy because all the money you’ve sent will enable JACK  to buy the machine we need to build the facilities… Here are the donation details:(1) one time donations: Lucia C (100$), Dana J (50$), Ashley H (134$), Christine C (50$), Kevin C (10$), Pirjo L (50$), Susan A (200$), Oliver T (100$),Cathy R (150$), Wanda H (25$+25$), Sheryl B (25$), Anonymous (2000$) and (2) monthly donations : Anonymous (30$).

Again, JACK thanks all of You ! this is just a dream…..

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