Ape Action Africa

Last updated
Ape Action Africa
Founded1996
Type Non-profit Foundation organization
Focus Environmentalism, conservation
Location
Area served
Cameroon
Key people
  • Rachel Hogan – Director
  • Caroline McLaney – Chief Executive
  • Bibila Tafon – General Manager & Head of Veterinary Services
Website apeactionafrica.org
Female Gorilla in Mefou Sanctuary, Cameroon Femelle gorille dans la reserve de la Mefou.jpg
Female Gorilla in Mefou Sanctuary, Cameroon

Ape Action Africa is a non-profit NGO founded in 1996 dedicated to the conservation of endangered gorillas and chimpanzees, threatened by the bushmeat trade in Central and West Africa. Ape Action Africa manages the rescue and rehabilitation of Great apes across much of Cameroon, with a large sanctuary in the Mefou forest. Some of these Apes include the Western gorilla, Western lowland gorilla, Cross River gorilla, and the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. With more than 300 primates in its care, Ape Action Africa is now one of the largest conservation projects of its kind in Africa. [1] Many of the animals arrive at the sanctuary as orphans, mainly due to the illegal bushmeat trade, which has grown in recent years as a result of deforestation of the Cameroonian jungle.

Contents

At the frontline of the organisation is Rachel Hogan, originally from Birmingham, who now lives full-time in the jungle.

Ape Action Africa is featured in the 2006 TV series Going Ape. [2]

On 22 November 2010, one of the founding directors of Ape Action Africa, Avi Sivan, died in a helicopter crash while travelling between the cities of Douala and Yaoundé in Cameroon. [3] [4] [5]

On 24 December 2010, the board of trustees of the charity announced Rachel Hogan as the new Director and Bibila Tafon (Babs) as the new Manager of the Mefou National Park.

On 24 April 2014, the Dublin premiere of the film Tarzan was in aid of Ape Action Africa, supported by the lead, Kellan Lutz, who is himself interested in conservation. [6]

History

Ape Action Africa was established in 1996 as a UK charity called CWAF, or Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund, and its primary objective was to improve living conditions for primates housed at Mvog-Betsi Zoo in Yaoundé, Cameroon. During 12 years of operation, CWAF expanded its mission significantly to provide sanctuary for wild orphans of the illegal bushmeat and pet trades in Cameroon.

The charity has long been associated with Bristol Zoo, sharing some trustees with the Clifton charity. It is also supported by local businesses and several celebrities. [7] [8]

CWAF rebranded as Ape Action Africa in 2008 and now uses email campaigns and Facebook to communicate with supporters. [9]

Ape Action is a member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA).

Ape Action Africa in the Mefou National Park Ape Action Africa - Mefou.jpg
Ape Action Africa in the Mefou National Park

Threats to primates

Bushmeat- refers to raw or processed meat that comes from wild animals mainly in Africa. The meat is often smoke, dried, and salted in order to be sold at the markets. Bushmeat talks about a variety of wild animals such as snakes, antelope, rats, and primates. Bushmeat becomes a threat to primates because their meat is valuable. Since the apes don't reproduce as fast as other animals there is less supply so the meat is prized.

Volunteer programme

Ape Action Africa offers a limited number of self-funded volunteer placements for one- to three-months in the Mefou National Park in Cameroon to people aged over 21 with a passion for primate conservation and Africa. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great ape personhood</span> Extending personhood to nonhuman great apes

Great ape personhood is a movement to extend personhood and some legal protections to the non-human members of the great ape family: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushmeat</span> Meat hunted in tropical forests

Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity in poor and rural communities of humid tropical forest regions of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twycross Zoo</span> English animal park specialising in primates

Twycross Zoo is a medium to large zoo near Norton Juxta Twycross, Leicestershire. The zoo has the largest collection of monkeys and apes in the Western World, and in 2006 re-launched itself as "Twycross Zoo – The World Primate Centre".

Charlotte Jane Uhlenbroek is a British zoologist and BBC television presenter.

The Bili apes, or Bondo mystery apes, were names given in 2003 in sensational reports in the popular media to a purportedly new species of highly aggressive, giant ape supposedly inhabiting the wetlands and savannah around of the village of Bili in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "The apes nest on the ground like gorillas, but they have a diet and features characteristic of chimpanzees", according to a 2003 National Geographic article.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross River gorilla</span> Subspecies of the western gorilla

The Cross River gorilla is a critically endangered subspecies of the western gorilla. It was named a new species in 1904 by Paul Matschie, a mammalian taxonomist working at the Humboldt University Zoological Museum in Berlin, but its populations were not systematically surveyed until 1987.

The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity that campaigns to "Keep Wildlife in the Wild". It protects wild animals in their natural habitat, campaigns against the keeping of wild animals in captivity and rescues wild animals in need. It also promotes compassionate conservation, which takes into account the welfare of individual animals in conservation initiatives. Born Free also creates and provides educational materials and activities that reflect the charity's values.

The International Primate Protection League (IPPL) is a not-for-profit animal welfare organization founded in 1973 in Thailand by Shirley McGreal.

The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) is a UNEP and UNESCO-led World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Type II Partnership, established in 2001, that aims to conserve the non-human great apes and their habitats—primarily forested tropical ecosystems that provide important services to humanity, through pro-poor conservation and sustainable development strategies.

Karl Ammann is a Swiss conservationist, wildlife photographer, author and documentary film producer. He initiated a campaign focusing on the African bush meat trade, which gained worldwide attention. As a conservation activist, he has specialized in investigative journalism involving undercover exposés dealing with the illegal wildlife trade. In the process, he has exposed NGOs and international conventions for their lack of effectiveness and the promotion of feel-good tales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Cameroon</span>

The wildlife of Cameroon is composed of its flora and fauna. Bordering Nigeria, it is considered one of the wettest parts of Africa and records Africa's second highest concentration of biodiversity. To preserve its wildlife, Cameroon has more than 20 protected reserves comprising national parks, zoos, forest reserves and sanctuaries. The protected areas were first created in the northern region under the colonial administration in 1932; the first two reserves established were Mozogo Gokoro Reserve and the Bénoué Reserve, which was followed by the Waza Reserve on 24 March 1934. The coverage of reserves was initially about 4 percent of the country's area, rising to 12 percent; the administration proposes to cover 30 percent of the land area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross River National Park</span> National park in Nigeria

The Cross River National Park is a national park of Nigeria, located in Cross River State, Nigeria. There are two separate sections, Okwangwo and Oban. The park has a total area of about 4,000 km2, most of which consists of primary moist tropical rainforests in the North and Central parts, with mangrove swamps on the coastal zones. Parts of the park belong to the Guinea-Congolian region, with a closed canopy and scattered emergent trees reaching 40 or 50 meters in height.

The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in Cross River State in southern Nigeria covers 104 km2 (40 sq mi). The wildlife sanctuary was founded in 2000 to provide refuge for endangered animal species, including the Cross River gorilla, the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, the drill and the gray-necked rockfowl.

Rachel Hogan, is a British primate conservationist, living and working in Cameroon in West Africa, and director of the charity Ape Action Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koolakamba</span> Purported hybrid ape

The Koolakamba or Kooloo-Kamba is a purported hybrid species of chimpanzees and gorillas. This alleged hybrid ape species has been reported in Africa as early as the mid 19th century. No empirical evidence has been found to substantiate the existence of the creature. The Koolakamba was referenced in the mid-19th century in French work by Franquet and in some descriptive work of Paul Du Chaillu from 1860, 1861, 1867, and 1899, some of which was republished in 1969.

The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) is the largest association of wildlife centers and sanctuaries in Africa, consisting of 23 organizations in 13 countries. As an alliance, PASA works to secure a future for Africa’s primates by rescuing and caring for orphaned and abused apes and monkeys, protecting endangered primates from extinction, educating the public, and empowering communities. PASA strengthens the capacity of its member sanctuaries by facilitating collaboration, sharing resources, and representation internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkey meat</span> Type of bushmeat derived from monkeys

Monkey meat is the flesh and other edible parts derived from monkeys, a kind of bushmeat. Human consumption of monkey meat has been historically recorded in numerous parts of the world, including multiple Asian and African nations. Monkey meat consumption has been reported in parts of Europe and the Americas as well.

Mefou Park, also known as Mefou Wildlife Sanctuary and Mfou Reserve, is a primate sanctuary in the forested area of Mfou in Cameroon. Within it, Mefou Primate Park is used as a shelter for primates that are native to Africa: the monkey, chimpanzees and gorillas.

International Primate Day, September 1, is an annual educational observance event organized since 2005 largely by British-based Animal Defenders International (ADI) and supported annually by various primate-oriented advocacy organizations, speaks for all higher and lower primates, typically endorsing humane agendas where primates are at risk, as in research institutions or species endangerment in precarious environmental situations.

References

  1. "CWAF and Ape Action Africa". Ape Action Africa. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. "Going Ape". Animal Planet. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  3. Stuart Carter. "Letter from Chair of Trustees". Ape Action Africa. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  4. "Ex-IDF officer killed in Cameroon crash". Ynet News. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  5. "Ex-IDF top officer, Avi Sivan, killed in Cameroon helicopter". Cameroon Today. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  6. "TARZAN – Interview with lead actor Kellan Lutz". Movies.ie. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  7. "Mendip Media – Bushmeat video". Archived from the original on 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  8. Miranda Krestovnikoff
  9. "Causes – Ape Action Africa". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  10. Ape Action Africa – volunteer programme
  11. "Ape Action Africa volunteer programme". Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. 2011. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2011.