In the middle of the night, a baby chimpanzee is having nightmares. Chantal, his caretaker, tries to calm him back to sleep. She works at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, in the Republic of the Congo, in Africa.
The chimpanzee’s name is George. He was taken from his mother by illegal hunters. Eventually, he was rescued and taken to the sanctuary(保护区), where Chantal helped him make friends with the other chimpanzees. “We rescue chimpanzees from horrible conditions and socialize them,” Goodall said. “They need to learn chimpanzee behavior. If one loses its mother when it’s tiny, it’s like a human child losing its mother.”
Chimpanzees are victims of deforestation and the illegal wildlife trade. Their population, numbering in the millions a century ago, could be down to 172,000. This makes the work of the Tchimpounga sanctuary even more important. “An ecosystem is made up of a complex mix of plants and animals,” Goodall says. “They all have a role to play. ”
At its opening, in 1992, Tchimpounga had space for 60 chimpanzees. It has since expanded to the size of a hundred football fields, and houses around 150 chimpanzees. Many live on forested islands in the Kouilou River. In that environment, the chimpanzees are prepared for a possible return to the wild.
The chimpanzees aren’t the only ones getting an education. The sanctuary broadcasts documentaries on local television, and works with law enforcement and government to reduce illegal trade in animals. These efforts are paying off, Tchimpounga head vet Rebeca Atencia said, “We have effectively stopped the arrival of orphan(孤儿) chimpanzees to Tchimpounga. We’ve received only one orphan chimpanzee over the past three years. This is a great achievement that shows us that our efforts are working.”
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