MONROVIA―Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge Liberia, based in Margibi County and with a set of estuarine sanctuary islands in the Farmington and Grand Bassa rivers, is celebrating 11 years of caring for dozens of very special chimps.
Most of the chimps at SCCRL, which is run by international animal protection organization Humane World for Animals, were either stolen from the wild as infants and sold to a nearby laboratory or born in captivity as part of the laboratory’s breeding colony. At that facility, they endured decades of captivity in barren cages, as well as hundreds of invasive liver biopsies and being repeatedly tranquilized or anaesthetized.
In 2015, after the experiments were ended, the lab relocated the chimps on the islands and withdrew funding for their care.
Humane World for Animals answered an emergency plea for help from the staff who stayed behind to feed the chimps, without whom they would not have survived on their own. Soon thereafter, the charity made a pledge to look after the remarkable primates for the rest of their lives.
SCCRL managing director Liliana Pacheco Ricote is passionate about the mission to which she and her colleagues have committed. She says: “It feels amazing to celebrate 11 years of giving care, respect and freedom back to these amazing chimpanzees. Their lives in the wild were tragically stolen from them many years ago. While we can never replace that, what we strive to do every day is provide them with a life as close to a wild existence as possible. I am so proud of our team here at SCCRL who dedicate themselves to caring for these chimpanzees, they are a credit to the community in their hard work, enthusiasm, professionalism and compassion.”
SCCRL caregivers travel by boat around 50km twice a day every day to the sanctuary islands to provide food to the chimpanzees, carry out needed veterinary observation and conduct security checks. To support what is now an aging population of chimpanzees, some still living with health issues from their laboratory days, Humane World for Animals is building new structures on each island to make delivering veterinary care quicker and easier. This approach means that the chimps can be left as undisturbed as possible even when receiving more hands-on healthcare for ailments such as arthritis, minor surgeries, routine check-ups and diagnostic procedures. The construction team charged with building the new structures over the next several years includes individuals recruited from the local community.
Community partnership is critical to protecting the wellbeing of both the chimps and their human neighbours. SCCRL works with more than 63 local communities in the vicinity of the sanctuary, including purchasing fruit and vegetables from a local women’s cooperative to feed the chimps, running humane education programs for children and adults, a weekly public information radio show and investments in community infrastructure such as building water pumps and schools. There are also plans for an educational visitor program in partnership with the Liberian National Tourism Association.
Jallah Fahnbulleh, government liaison officer at Humane World for Animals Liberia, explains: “Our relationship with the local communities is really important to us, and we are grateful for their support over the past 11 years. With their cooperation, we are honored to be giving the chimps a second chance at a good life here at the sanctuary. Seeing them build nests in the trees, groom each other and flourish in the companionship of their bonded groups, is a daily privilege. They have known the worst of humanity but also, I hope the best too.”
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