Happy Boyd-day

Boyd with his most constant companion, Tsotsi

Today, the wonderful chimpanzee Boyd is turning 32 years old! He's been living at Monarto Zoo since August 2009 and is a really great chimp. He's a lot more mature and experienced than the other lads and spends a lot of time grooming or being groomed by Tsotsi.



To celebrate Boyd's birthday I became a member of 'Save the Chimps' in order to help other chimpanzees who have not had as pleasant lives as Boyd and the others. In the future I'm going to make donations to celebrate the birthdays of all the Monarto chimps. Please take a look at their website to find out more about the amazing work they do. http://www.savethechimps.org/

I was going to visit the chimps today as it's Boyd's birthday, but I'm saving my bus ticket money so I can visit more times once the lady chimps are at the zoo early next month. I think four new girlfriends is a pretty good birthday present for Boyd to be getting!

Great Apes Need Their Mothers!

Hsiao-quai with her beloved infant Jin

Great apes have long childhoods and are dependent on their mothers for years. The bond is so strong that their have been cases of the youngsters giving up and dying after losing their mothers. Knowing this, how tragic it is that infant chimpanzees and orangutans are taken from their mothers for no reason other than so they can be raised to entertain us. The treatment of these apes being trained for television, movies or shows can be very brutal and when they become too large and dangerous they are discarded. If they are lucky they may end up at a caring sanctuary, but may find it difficult to adjust to living with their own kind after so long.
 Please write to companies who exploit great apes in this way, especially in a time when computers or animatronics can be used instead, this use of apes is not acceptable.
Look at the Center for Great Apes website for more information:
http://www.centerforgreatapes.org/apes-in-entertainment.aspx


Trudy
When she was an infant, she was whipped and kicked by her circus trainer owner


Sule resting on his mum Sacha's back, luckily he will be growing up with his family, as all chimps should do


Carli, a former television star. He knew very little of how to behave like a chimp when he was rescued but is now a well loved member of a group of chimp boys

Fundraising for Ape Action Africa

In upport of Ape Action Africa's work with primates including chimpanzees and gorillas in Cameroon I will be fasting from 8pm on Friday the 22nd to 8am on Sunday the 24th of October. I would appreciate it so much if anyone would sponsor me, it would really help to care for the orphaned primates at the sanctuary in Mefou National Park. You can find out more about the amazing work of Ape Action Africa on their website- http://www.apeactionafrica.org/  and even 'adopt' one of their chimps or gorillas to help support their care. (I've adopted the beautiful young gorilla Nona). Here is the link to my fundraising page if you'd like to help me reach my target, or even surpass it! The apes really need our help!
http://www.justgiving.com/pangorilla


Gombe
PLEASE DONATE TO PROVIDE A GOD LIFE FOR PRIMATES ORPHANED DUE TO THE ILLEGAL BUSHMEAT TRADE!!!