This campaign has now closed
Our forest site in Mefou National Park, Cameroon, is home to rescued, orphaned gorillas, chimanzees and monkeys. We need your help to continue to care for them in optimal welfare conditions until such time as reintroduction programmes are possible or feasible.
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There is a trade in live primates in Cameroon, most of them young great apes whose parents have been hunted for the illegal bushmeat trade. Both chimpanzees and gorillas are endangered species. These young primates are held in appalling conditions and many die through neglect or mistreatment. The Sanctuary exists to provide a home for the ongoing care of rescued primates, and provides a base for education programmes that focus on the bushmeat trade, its unsustainability amd illegality for a number of species including gorillas and chimpanzees. Plans are currently under way to develop reintroduction programmes for chimpanzees in Cameroon. The end goals of the project are: 1. To work with the authorities and other NGOs to reduce and, in time, eliminate the bushmeat trade in primates. 2. Reintroduction programmes will be developed for the species held in the rescue centre and animals will, where possible, be returned to the wild. 3. To contribute to increased knowledge and understanding of the issues that surround the bushmeat trade, and of animal welfare The Mefou Primate Sanctuary costs in the region of £120,000 per annum. The cost of lifetime care for a gorilla or chimpanzee has been estimated to be about £50,000. We currently care for 18 gorillas, 98 chimps and over 170 monkeys so we have a huge commitment to their ongoing welfare. We urgently need your support to help us continue to care for these animals and to work with local people to protect the remaining wild great apes. No money is taken for project administration - this is covered by volunteer time and in kind donations from supporters.