Chimp Eden

Ref: www.janegoodall.co.za

During the Easter holidays this year my family and I travelled to Golden Gate National Park and then Kruger National Park. Whilst we were in Nelspruit we were lucky enough to spend an emotional but informative day at Chimp Eden learning about the great work done by the Jane Goodall Institute in the rescue and care of chimps.

Chimp Eden is set on a 1000 hectare game reserve. It is a home to chimpanzees that have been misplaced from their natural habitat. The world renowned Jane Goodall Institute has made this tranquil venue their South African sanctuary and has committed itself to the rescue and care take of chimpanzees in need of refuge.

The Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) is the closest relative to humans. In recent years the ‘bush-meat' trade has grown exponentially as the great wild forests of Africa have become more accessible to humans, largely due to logging which is destroying primate habitats by opening large sections of forest with dirt roads. It is estimated that Chimpanzees will be extinct within their natural habitats in as little time as 10 years. Therefore the Jane Goodall Institute is committed to conserving the primates and has created multiple sanctuaries in Africa.

The goal of the Sanctuary is to rescue some of the Chimpanzees that have survived the hunting ordeal but are still misplaced through the lucrative illegal pet trade to zoos, circus performers and medical research facilities. Besides being provided with a home to live out their lives they are also provided with the necessary attention to recover from the trauma that they have experienced.

Visitors  have a unique opportunity to see Chimpanzees in semi-wild surroundings with normal social interaction and behavioural patterns under group members. The Chimpanzee groups live within large semi-wild enclosures that are close to their natural habitat. The enclosures also have viewpoints overlooking the forest and ‘foraging areas'.

Let us hope that they will be able to return these family groups to the forests of Africa and that they will be safe from the "bush meat" market and able to live in their natural wild habitats for a lot longer than the expected 10 years!