Dear friends,
J.A.C.K. Sanctuary is rescuing common chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes Schweinfurtii) and bushbabies (Otolemur Crassicaudatus).
Why now talking about ‘silverbacks’? these creatures are gorillas? and J.A.C.K. has never rescued any … so why should there be a gorilla at J.A.C.K.? the answer is ‘for education’.
Yes, a wonderful concrete mountain gorilla is standing in the middle of one of our education huts to show visitors the difference between African monkeys and great apes. How would people be able to protect apes if they even can’t distinguish them from monkeys? This is the purpose of this 3rd education building totally sponsored by IPPL & ARCUS Foundation as well as the SWEDEN CHIMPANZEE TRUST and MARKET TO AFRICA.
J.A.C.K.’s silverback was created by a local artist, Mr Félix, and he needed time and a lot of patience: buillding such concrete statue isn’t very easy, especially the face, and that’s why the head of our gorilla is slightly overdimensioned as the weight of the cement gave Mr félix hard times to dry up neatly.
The huge gorilla statue attracts the eye immediately and even sometimes scares young visitors who believe it is a real ‘zamba‘ (word for gorilla in local Swahili language). But their fears don’t last very long as kids love to hug and sit on the back of the mountain gorilla!
We thank our sponsors for their trust and their wish to develop J.A.C.K. Education programme in Lubumbashi and we also thank Mr Félix for his artistic skills and for his time!
Roxane/J.A.C.K.
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