The Tchimpounga Sanctuary, also known as the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, for

primate 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 ...

s is located on a

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Coa ...

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

and forest in Pointe Noire,

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

, and was built in 1992. The site covers an area of . The sanctuary, part of the

Jane Goodall Institute The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodall. The institute has offices in more than twenty-five coun ...

, is located 50 km (31 miles) north of

Pointe-Noire Pointe-Noire (; kg, Njinji, french: Ndjindji with the letter d following French spelling standards) is the second largest city in the Republic of the Congo, following the capital of Brazzaville, and an autonomous department since 2004. Before t ...

in the

Kouilou Department Kouilou ( kg, Kwilu, Kuilu ) is a department of the Republic of the Congo. Covering the country's coastline, it has an area of 13,650 square kilometres and at the start of 2007 it was home to about 91,955 people. The department borders Niar ...

and is the largest

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 ...

sanctuary on the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n continent. It has conducted research comparing food-sharing and

social inhibition Social inhibition is a conscious or subconscious avoidance of a situation or social interaction. With a high level of social inhibition, situations are avoided because of the possibility of others disapproving of their feelings or expressions. Soci ...

among chimpanzees and

bonobo The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...

s. The sanctuary is a refuge in the

Congo Basin The Congo Basin (french: Bassin du Congo) is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It con ...

for chimpanzees orphaned by

bushmeat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption, most often referring to the meat of game in Africa. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity for inhabitants of humid tropi ...

hunters; authorities deliver the young animals after confiscating them from sellers in the pet or entertainment trades.Tchimpounga Sanctuary
Retrieved 2012-04-12. The sanctuary 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 Primate, pri ...

References

External links

Tchimpounga Sanctuary factsExpansion plansPhoto gallery
{{coord missing, Republic of the Congo Protected areas established in 1999 Protected areas of the Republic of the Congo Western Congolian forest–savanna mosaic