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!!!

Day with Chimp Keepers

Gombe, looking much better than when I last saw him

Yesterday I had a super day helping the primate keepers at Monarto Zoo. Most of the time was with the chimpanzees, but I also helped to clean out the colobus monkeys' bedrooms and also the black rhinos' shelters (while the primate keepers were at a meeting).
 I helped hide the boys' food around the enclosure, it's amazing how big it is in there when you're actually walking around inside the enclosure! I blended up their dinner of soup and bottled it for them and rolled up balls of primate meal which was very messy and quite smelly, but fun as well.


Sandali

The chimpanzees were wonderful, when we got there in the morning Tsotsi and Gombe played tag around the bedrooms with big play faces and laughing audibly. Gombe seemed to be back to his usual self and later played chasing games with Boyd as well. Early in the morning, Tsotsi displayed at Boyd who acted submissively towards him. Later Sandali approached Boyd with his hair bristled and then they kissed and Boyd patted Sandali on the shoulder. Boydie was quite slow when he was walking around, probably results of being middle-aged. He'd had a tooth removed recently. Of all the chimps, only Sandali participated in operant conditioning before going outside, it was interesting to watch as he responded to different hand signals.


Gombe and Boyd

I've got to mention the colobus monkeys here as well. They're such interesting primates to spend time with, the juvenile Kyoda was just the cutest little thing, and his mum Misika was very good as to not grab at me (which I was warned of before entering the monkey house!). It was nice to see the group as they are not on public display so I hadn't seen them since I did work experience at the zoo last year.


Kyoda

On Sunday I helped out at the Australian Orangutan Project stall at the Malaysian Carnival which was really enjoyable and we sold quite a few cuddly orangutans! Tonight is the AOP movie night at Adelaide Zoo which I'll be attending in a few hours. :)
All in all, I'm having a great and ape-filled few days, my experience at the zoo has made me even more determined to help chimpanzees in some way.


Sandali

I'm rather excited

I've just organised with the very lovely keepers at Monarto Zoo to spend the a day assisting the chimpanzee keepers as I wasn't able to go on the primate round when I was there on work experience last year! (That was due to my work experience being on the week that Gombe and Boyd arrived from NZ). I'll be spending the day with the chimp keepers on Tuesday the 14th of September and I cannot wait! I've also been told that Gombe is feeling a lot better. :)
 Up until then I will be quite busy, this weekend I will be helping out at the Free the Bears booth at the Royal Adelaide Show (visit http://www.freethebears.org.au/ to check out the amazing work they do!) and am also going to be working on a large chimpanzee themed work of art for school.


Sandali

I'm planning on doing a fundraiser for Ape Action Africa (formerly CWAF)  later in the year, I'm not entirely sure what it will involve but I would recommend their website to have a look at their work with primates in Cameroon. (http://www.apeactionafrica.org/)


My adopted chimp Hebe at Monkey World, UK

Chimpanzee visit and Upcoming Events

Boyd


I was lucky enough to be invited along to Monarto Zoo with my school's Year 11 Environmental Studies camp on 12th-13th August as the 'chimp expert'. At the chimpanzee enclosure, I talked to the other students about chimps and the many threats facing them. I also talked about the four beautiful chimp boys that are living at the zoo. I enjoyed giving the talk and I was asked lots of questions afterwards about chimpanzees.
 
 Unfortunatley, Gombe was very poorly on the two days I was there, and on the 13th he was displayed at by both Tsotsi and Boyd and had his nest charged through and was attacked by Tsotsi who screamed loudly at him. After the brief attack, Tsots and Boyd joined Gombe for grooming. I was very worried about Gombe, but as I haven't heard anything since then I'm hoping that no news is good news!
 

Gombe feeling unwell
 
You may know that I am a volunteer for the Australian Orangutan Project (AOP). We have some events coming up soon in South Australia in aid of orangutans, and also in aid of chimpanzees at the Jane Goodall Institute's Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre.
There are two movie nights planned with guest speakers.
 
On the 15th of September there will be a screening of 'The Last Trimate' about the great primatologist Birute Galdikas and orangutans. Adelaide Zoo orang keeper Jodie Ellen will be a guest speaker, talking about her experiences in Borneo.
 
On the 22nd of September, there will be a screening of 'Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees' with ZoosSA CEO and JGI Chairman Dr Chris West talking as a guest speaker.
 
Both will take place at the Santos Conservation Centre outside Adelaide Zoo, from 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Prices are $15 for one night and $25 for both. Purchases can be made through contacting Regina (0408377996),
If you would like a flyer for the movie evenings please contact me


Sandali says 'Please help us!'


Kluet

Some Gorilla Pictures

Hi, I haven't posted much gorilla related yet (or bonobos either, I'm not very knowledgeable about bonobos at the moment, I would love to be able to visit and watch some one day) so I'm posting a few gorilla photos because they are such beautiful animals.

Gorillas are under threat of extinction because of deforestation, the bushmeat trade and disease. To find out how you can help please visit the website of Ape Action Africa- http://www.apeactionafrica.org/ or the Gorilla Organization- http://www.gorillas.org/

Luckily for gorillas, they are used less in entertainment than orangutans and chimpanzees because they are so large and highly prized in zoo collections. They are also not used in biomedical laboratories the way chimps are.

Fuzu, a young male who lives at Taronga Zoo, Sydney

Female gorilla Safiri when she was staying at Adelaide Zoo in 2007. She has since moved to Duisburg Zoo, Germany where she's had her first baby

This is Bobby who sadly passed away in late 2008. He was only in his 20s when he died but had much happen to him in his short life, being stolen from the wild, used in the circus before living in several zoos. Bobby lived his last days with three females Zaire, Effie and Mjukuu.

pusung