Ape Action Africa is committed to ape conservation in Africa ~ Shufai's story

http://www.apeactionafrica.org/what-we-do

Click on  link to see the APE Action Africa main page!

Shufai my little adopted APE!

Click here to see Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FllCJTBcyOM&feature=player_embedded

Hi Jean Robb here. After doing the two stories on APE Action African my heart told me to adopt Shufai. APE Action Africa has over 320 primates in our care, including 110 chimps and 20 gorillas, and they all need food, shelter and medicines. Chimps and gorillas can live for 40/50 years so we have a long term commitment to them.….and you can help us take care of them by adopting one of our orphans and becoming involved in their lives with regular updates, watching them grow into their new family groups.

For £30 or $50 per year, less than 60p a week or $1 a week, you can get directly involved in conservation and make a difference where it counts. You can give the great apes a future. 

This little APE really touched my heart. The video above is Shufai's story. 

Shufai

Shufai’s life almost ended in infancy when he narrowly escaped fatal injury from the bullets that killed his mother. After months of intensive care and rehabilitation, Shufai was looking forward to a future amongst a group of other orphaned gorillas when he was struck down by meningitis and almost lost his life a second time. After a remarkable recovery he is now slowly recovering his movement and abilities, as well as his position amongst his young social group. Watch the early days of his recovery here.

If you would like to adopt Shufai then complete our online adoption form and we'll do the rest!

Gorillas: the bad news, the good news and what you can do

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Vanishing Species

"Shufai", 6-year-old male, photo by Ian Bickerstaff, Ape Action Africa

These beautiful animals are under threat.  We all know about climate change, deforestation and habitat loss, but it may surprise you to know that gorillas are still being hunted and eaten: gorilla meat is regarded as a delicacy by many.

Where once it may have been subsistence hunting to feed families, nowadays the trade is not limited to Africa, and is driven by wealthy patrons worldwide who are prepared to pay ridiculous sums for gorilla meat.

"Nona", 8-year-old female, photo by Caroline McLaney, Ape Action Africa

But this week the focus should be on celebrating the life of Dian Fossey, who did so much to conserve these magnificent animals, and to bring an appreciation of their plight to so many of us.
The good news is things are slowly starting to change, and in Uganda and Rwanda, gorillas are seen as an iconic species and locals are working to protect them.  At Ape Action Africa, our dream is for Cameroonians to love their gorillas, and that one day, it will be socially unacceptable to eat them.

FSC: The Mark of Responsible Forestry

What Can I Do: Hunting gorillas and chimps is illegal so the meat isn’t openly seen in restaurants or markets, it’s an underground trade.  But there are ways you can help:  logging is a major issue in Cameroon and as loggers build roads deeper and deeper into the forests, the forests (and the gorillas themselves) are opened up to poachers.  So be careful about the source of wood products and look for the FSC label (shown) when you buy, which ensures the wood you are buying is only from forests which are managed in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable manner.

How about adopting Nora

Nona’s story: a young gorilla saved

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Vanishing Species

The video is shocking.  Out of a squalid hut, a man is carrying a tiny, dark-skinned baby.  The baby is completely naked and is so distressed its little body is rigid and it doesn’t make a sound.  Its eyes are open but it’s completely non-responsive.  I’m not even sure if it’s alive.  I can barely watch – and then suddenly I realise the “baby” is not human, but a tiny gorilla.  And it is alive!She’s a little girl – Nona – and she was only around 2 months old when her mother was killed by poachers for meat.  Clinging to her mother as baby gorillas do, Nona was shot through the hand when her mother was shot, and was discarded by the hunters and left for dead - too little meat on her tiny body for them to be interested.  At the time she was rescued, she had been left for days without food or water.  But Nona was one of the lucky ones: many baby gorillas in this situation would have been sold into the illegal pet trade. She was discovered by the manager of a logging concession and Ape Action Africa were called in to help, and the video was recorded during her rescue.Ape Action Africa’s Director, Rachel Hogan was there at her rescue, and from that point forward, Nona was cared for by either Rachel and the other staff at the facility 24 hours a day for the next few months.  Here, a delicate balance is required: gorilla babies need the care and attention a human baby does but for Nona to grow up as a healthy gorilla adult, it’s vitally important to minimise her time with humans. Luckily for Nona, another infant gorilla arrived just after Nona, a little boy called Yeba.  Nona was introduced to Yeba, and they soon bonded and started to play like little gorillas should.After many months of round-the-clock care, Nona fully recovered from her injuries and her traumatic start in life. She now enjoys her days with other gorillas in Mefou Primate Park in Cameroon, in the care of Ape Action Africa and their team of 40 staff.  Ape Action Africa’s facilities are in the forest so it’s a wonderfully rich and natural environment for the apes.  Nona now lives in a huge enclosure with 10 other gorillas: as natural an environment as possible.  The gorillas sleep in satellite cages so the staff know they’re ok (and to stop them destroying the enclosure’s plants making night nests!) but after they’re fed in the morning, they literally disappear into their own private forest for the day and only come back for food in the evening!This series of pictures show Nona’s growth from that distraught abandoned infant to a happy, healthy adolescent with a cheeky and confident personality.  She is now 8 years old.

(You can watch the video Nona’s story here)

Nona in the early days - her injured hand was where she was shot by the poachers, photo by Ape Action Africa, details below

Nona and Yeba have become fast friends and now play together as young gorillas should, photo by Caroline McLaney, details below

Nona happy and healthy, photo by Caroline McLaney, details below

Nona today, photo by Ian Bickerstaff, details below

FSC: The Mark of Responsible Forestry

What Can I Do: Hunting of gorillas and chimps is largely for the illegal bushmeat trade.  The meat isn’t openly seen in restaurants or markets, it’s an underground trade.  But there are ways you can help: logging is a major issue in Cameroon and as loggers build roads deeper and deeper into the forests, the forests (and the gorillas themselves) are opened up to poachers.  So be careful about the source of wood products and look for the FSC label (shown) when you buy, which ensures the products you are buying is only from forests which are managed in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable manner.

Caroline McLaney
Chief Executive, Ape Action Africa

 
Ape Action Africa is committed to ape conservation in Africa – protecting Cameroon’s great apes through direct action, including rescuing orphaned gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys, giving them a safe forest sanctuary home where they can live with their own kind.

Join Ape Action Africa:
web:  www.apeactionafrica.org
facebook: www.facebook.com/ApeActionAfrica
twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ApeActionAfrica

Photos are from Ape Action Africa, taken at their project in Cameroon
and are used with their kind permission