It’s World Chimpanzee Day and we have a lot to celebrate!

Did you know that Friends of Animals, the international animal advocacy organization that manages Primarily Primates, also sponsors the most unique chimpanzee sanctuary in the world.

In a November 2008 landmark agreement with Janis Carter and the Gambian government, Friends of Animals agreed to help fund the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project, an island sanctuary established in 1979 in West Africa in the River Gambia National Park. It is home to 149 chimpanzees who live in four groups in relative freedom—without bars or cages—on three of the park’s five islands. Many of the refuge’s chimpanzees were confiscated as orphans of parents killed by hunters for bushmeat or parents who were taken for exploitive industries. Some were voluntarily relinquished by people who had unwisely tried to make them into pets.

Here in the states, Primarily Primates is comprised of 78-acres in San Antonio, Texas, and it provides lifelong care for 300 plus animals, including 32 chimpanzees. They have been saved from biomedical research, the pet trade, and the entertainment industry. 

World Chimpanzee Day serves not just as a celebration, but also as a call to action. It reminds of the responsibility to protect these extraordinary beings and the ecosystems they depend on. Please consider a donation to help us continue our lifesaving work. Donate at friendsofanimals.org or primarilyprimates.org