Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Kenya Wildlife Service, Iranian Embassy in Kenya and Eram Zoo work together to give new home to endangered ape
Chimpanzee Relocated from Iran Arrives in Kenyan Sanctuary
Contact
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Roxanne Mungai, +254 / 706 475737
roxanne.mungai@olpejetaconservancy.org
Dr. Stephen Ngulu
Head of the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary
+254 / 724 859 719
stephen.ngulu@olpejetaconservancy.org
On the 5th of July 2021, a four-year-old chimpanzee Relocated from Eram Zoo in Iran, arrived in Kenya to start a new life at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Nanyuki, Kenya - The illegal trade in great apes – for pets and for meat – is a multi-billion-dollar industry that threatens the future of chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas. Infants captured from the wild are often destined for the illegal pet trade, zoos or circuses, typically in the Middle East or Persian Gulf. Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, which hosts a sanctuary specifically for rescued chimpanzees, often works to repatriate illegally exported chimpanzees to Africa and give them a new life in a semi-wild environment and amongst their own.
Four-year-old Baran is the new addition to Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. She was born prematurely in 2017 at Tehran's main wildlife centre. Unfortunately, Baran's mother wasn’t able to fully bond with her when she was a bit older, and she wasn’t accepted by the other chimpanzees. After her mother died, Baran was moved into a cage for her protection.
Baran's relocation to Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary comes after months-long collaborative efforts between Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Eram Zoo, Kenya Wildlife Service, Iranian Embassy officials and other animal welfare organisations. These efforts were fuelled by concerns over the welfare of Baran as she did not have any other chimpanzees to socialise with, which can potentially be harmful to both mental and physical development.
“I am very happy to see Baran in a better place with others of her kind and it is good that she will learn how to survive in nature.” the Iranian Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Amb. Dr. Jafar Barmaki remarks. “I would also like to appreciate the management of Eram Zoo who did a lot to ensure her relocation to Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
“We are extremely delighted that the tireless efforts and high-level correspondence has ultimately led to relocation of Baran to a sanctuary where she will entirely live with others of her kind,” said Dr. Stephen Ngulu, Head of the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. “We thank all involved and we will continuously engage relevant stakeholders in matters of chimpanzee welfare and conservation across the global landscape.”
Baran will now be in quarantine for 90 days, a time period stipulated by the Kenya Wildlife Service. With 24-hour veterinary support and a stimulating quarantine enclosure, chimpanzees arriving at the Sanctuary are carefully nursed back to health. She will be monitored as she becomes adjusted to her new life with us in Kenya.
The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary is one of the only sanctuaries of its kind that still has the capacity to take in more chimpanzees in need, offering them a home and better future. While the chimpanzees here can never be released into the wild, they have huge enclosures, a natural environment and other chimpanzees to socialise with.
While Baran’s story started with hardship – just like her name which mean “rain” in Persian – the future now looks better for this lucky chimpanzee, and we hope that the bright sun of Kenya will bring her renewed experience amongst her kind. She will become an ambassador for her species and help raise awareness on the plight of wild chimpanzees in Africa.
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Boilerplates
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
www.olpejetaconservancy.org
Ol Pejeta is the largest black rhino sanctuary in East and Central Africa, and home to the last two remaining northern white rhinos on the planet. It is the only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees, in a Sanctuary established to rehabilitate animals rescued from the black market. It has some of the highest predator densities in Kenya, and still manages a very successful livestock programme. Ol Pejeta also seeks to support the people living around its borders, to ensure wildlife conservation translates to better education, healthcare and infrastructure for the next generation of wildlife guardians. Now more than ever, wildlife conservation is inextricably linked with the livelihoods of local communities. Ol Pejeta seeks to support the people living around its borders, to ensure wildlife conservation translates to better education, healthcare and infrastructure for the next generation of wildlife guardians.
Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary
www.olpejetaconservancy.org/wildlife/chimpanzees/sweetwaters-chimpanzee-sanctuary/
The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary was established with an agreement between the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Jane Goodall Institute. The aim – to provide lifelong refuge to orphaned and abused chimpanzees from West and Central Africa. Over the last decade, Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary has been compelled to keep accepting chimpanzees rescued from traumatic situations - bringing the total number of chimpanzees in the Sanctuary to 35. Many are confiscated from cramped and unnatural living conditions, and many arrive with horrific injuries sustained from abuse at the hands of humans. Here at Sweetwaters, they get a chance to start over.