Femelle gorille dans la reserve de la Mefou

Ape Action Africa is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

founded in 1996 dedicated to the conservation of

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...

s and

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

s, threatened by the bushmeat trade in Central and West Africa. Ape Action Africa manages the rescue and rehabilitation of

Great apes The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the east ...

across much of

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, with a large

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

in the Mefou forest. With more than 300

primates Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

in its care, Ape Action Africa is now one of the largest

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

projects of its kind in Africa. 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 Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

of the Cameroonian jungle. At the frontline of the organisation is Rachel Hogan, originally from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, who now lives full-time in the jungle. Ape Action Africa is featured in the 2006 TV series ''Going Ape''. 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. 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 Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

was in aid of Ape Action Africa, supported by the lead,

Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American actor and model. He made his film debut in ''Stick It'' (2006), and is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). He has since played Pos ...

, who is himself interested in conservation.

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 The Mvog-Betsi Zoo is a botanical and zoological park located in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It is administered by the country's Ministry of Forestry and Fauna (MINFOF) (formerly the Ministry of Environments and Forests (MINEF)), and there is a wide range ...

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

, 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 Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

has long been associated with

Bristol Zoo Bristol Zoo was a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend” biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider unders ...

, sharing some trustees with the Clifton charity. It is also supported by local businesses and several celebrities. CWAF rebranded as Ape Action Africa in 2008 and now uses email campaigns and Facebook to communicate with supporters. Ape Action is a member of the

Pan African Sanctuary Alliance The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) is an association of wildlife centers in Africa, founded in 2000 in Uganda. The activities of PASA includes rescuing and caring for orphaned apes and monkeys, promoting the conservation of wild primates, ed ...

(PASA).

Rachel Hogan, Director

Rachel Hogan arrived at the charity in 2001 on a three-month volunteer placement. She was about to leave for home when a two-week-old gorilla arrived and Rachel stayed to hand rear him. She has been in Cameroon ever since. Her role in the project developed and when Avi and Talila Sivan were appointed directors in 2003, she was appointed manager of Mefou National Park. During her tenure as manager, Rachel has been a key part of the team that has transformed Mefou into one of the largest, best known primate conservation charities in Africa. The Sivans have overseen vast improvements in the enclosures, veterinary care, transport, security and infrastructure at Mefou. Rachel has worked closely with Talila on a daily basis, resulting in her development from a volunteer with a single-minded animal focus to a confident manager, driven by her passion for primates.

Bibila Tafon (Babs), Manager - Mefou National Park

Babila Tafon has worked for Ape Action Africa since its inception 14 years ago as CWAF and became manager of our team working with the primates in Mvog Betsi Zoo in Yaoundé in 2003. He has developed the veterinary team over the years and he now has two veterinary technicians to assist him in providing excellent veterinary care to hundreds of primates. Tafon regularly attends the PASA (Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance) vet workshops and he has travelled to the US and the UK for vet conferences and training.

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.

References

External links

*Ape Action Africa
www.apeactionafrica.org
* {{Apes Animal reintroduction Animal welfare organizations based in Cameroon Nature conservation in Cameroon Environmental organizations based in Cameroon Organizations established in 1996 Primate sanctuaries Wildlife sanctuaries of Africa