To finish off our countdown, we wanted to share with you a final important (and fun!) reason why we need access to water at the sanctuary…
7. ENRICHMENT
Yes, they are pretty sweet playing with their frozen ice lollies in the Congo heat!
But this activity has a deeper purpose.
Many of these chimps have experienced the true terror of seeing their family massacred in order for poachers to take them from the wild. On average, 10 adult chimps are killed to obtain just one baby chimp which will be sold as bushmeat or to the exotic pet industry, where they experience further trauma and suffering.
These 33 chimps at J.A.C.K. are safe forever, but represent a much larger scale of horror.
As these orphaned chimps have been rescued from different places across the DR Congo over the past 13 years, play is a really special way that we help them to settle in to their new life with us, to connect with each other, make friends and establish a new family of their own at J.A.C.K.
Please help us to help them! Every dollar counts and means the world to us! Thank you!