Photo Courtesy of Pan African Sanctuary Alliance

These four sanctuaries – Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Chimpanzee Conservation Center and Lola ya Bonobo – are among 19 primate sanctuaries operating in 12 African nations under the umbrella of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA).  PASA ensures coordinated long-term planning and collaboration among its members, provides professional training for sanctuary staff members, and bridges the sanctuary network to the larger community of primatologists. The result has been steadily increasing professionalism and standards for animal care.

Photo Courtesy of Pan African Sanctuary Alliance

Sanctuaries have a key role in conservation since they allow government authorities to enforce conservation laws. Wild apes are captured illegally, and show up in markets, hotels and restaurants, the entertainment industry and in private homes where they are kept as pets. Government authorities will not confiscate these apes unless they can be taken to a sanctuary where they will receive good care. Without good sanctuaries, these poor apes will be left to suffer, and public appreciation and enforcement of wildlife laws are diminished.

Photo Courtesy of Pan African Sanctuary Alliance

As we noted above, many of these sanctuaries are planning to reintroduce some of their apes to the wild. PASA, and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) organized a three-day symposium on ape reintroduction in the Netherlands in April 2006. Dr. Beck was one of the experts invited to work with sanctuary managers on reintroduction planning at the workshop. Beck presented a preview of an adaptation of the IUCN’s reintroduction guidelines specifically for apes. Beck has been authoring this adaptation with Trust research assistant and Iowa State University graduate student Kristina Walkup, and ISU graduate student Michelle Rodrigues. A first draft is currently being reviewed by a number of expert primatologists and reintroduction specialists. Once adopted, these guidelines will facilitate reintroduction planning by ape sanctuary managers, and provide standards and best practices to improve the chances of successful and humane reintroduction. The guidelines also include a bibliography of more than 400 books and articles pertinent to ape reintroduction for use as a reference by reintroduction managers. The Trust has been and will continue to support the writing and dissemination of these guidelines as a major ape conservation initiative.