The Big Chimp Rescue - Lets help the Babies and the wonderful people driving this

Hello. I’ve just finished watching the BBC 3-part series “Baby Chimp Rescue” shown on TV ONE Saturday at 7.35 you may have watched it here in New Zealand you can catch up on - ON DEMAND,

this has touched my heart and made me want to do something to help.

Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection (LCRP) is the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary and conservation center in Liberia rescuing chimpanzees who are victims of the illegal bush meat and pet trades.

The founders, Jenny and Jimmy Desmond are working tirelessly to raise funds to build a sanctuary and look after the 40+ chimps in their care, most who are under the age of 5 years. Jimmy is a wildlife vet and they have both worked all over Africa and for a number of wildlife sanctuaries, caring for a variety of animals.

My sister had the pleasure of working alongside Jenny and Jimmy in Uganda some years ago, when they first came to work with orphaned chimpanzees. She said they were the most passionate and enthusiastic volunteers she had ever had the chance to work with – she is not surprised that they have dedicated their lives to helping animals.

LCRP will provide food, shelter and care for these chimpanzees for the rest of their natural lives (captive chimps can live up to 60 years of age). Once in captivity, it is impossible to return a chimpanzee back to the wild because they are too used to humans, they have been taken from their families, the babies don’t have the skills to survive without that knowledge being handed down from their mothers, there are not many protected forested areas left for them to live in and the bush meat and pet trade are still very prolific in most parts of Africa.

Whilst the chimps will spend a lot of time in a natural forest attached to the sanctuary, they will still need to be supplement fed as there is not enough food in this forest to sustain a group of this size.

And all this care, food and shelter comes at a cost…. which is why I want to help and which is why I am appealing to anyone to give a little to help them…. a little will go a long way.

LCRP need money to continue with the construction of the sanctuary (holdings facility, store room, kitchen and food prep areas, infant and quarantine facilities, veterinary center and supplies, staff quarters, electric fencing, solar power, wages, food, the list is endless). It costs about NZ$80 a week or $4,000 a year to feed and care for one individual chimp.

Visit their website to learn more – www.liberiachimpanzeerescue.org – and please help me to raise my goal of NZD$15,000 (about US$10K) to support LCRP – any donation will be gratefully received.