Rescue, Resilience and Recovery
Image courtesy of Amy Hanes
When Ndongo came to Ape Action Africa in 2018, his physical and psychological condition told of terrible suffering and neglect. Our team worked round the clock with the traumatised infant, and Ndongo's resilience and spirit allowed him to make an incredible recovery. The young chimp who had been too weak to walk was, in a matter of months, climbing and playing in the forest with the other orphaned babies in our care.
Ndongo thrived in the company of the other chimps. He became more adventurous and less reliant on his caregivers, and less than a year after his rescue he was ready to join our pre-nursery group. Though he was initially a little shy around the older chimps, their playful advances and reassurances helped him to settle happily into his new family.
Ndongo in the pre-nursery forest enclosure. Image © Ape Action Africa / Amy Hanes
Now a very confident member of the group, Ndongo loves exploring his forest enclosure, playing with his chimpanzee family, and he's particularly happy hanging out in the trees.
Kam and Ndongo. Image © Ape Action Africa / Amy Hanes
Ndongo's amazing recovery was made possible by his resilience, the dedication and expertise of our team, and crucially, your compassion and generosity. Many of you have donated in his name over the last couple of years and your messages of support have been truly heartwarming.
As World Chimpanzee Day (July 14th) approaches, please consider helping to secure Ndongo's future by taking part in some of the events that we have planned to celebrate chimpanzees next week. You can bid for fantastic items in our Ape Action Auction or buy a ticket for our Prize Draw; you'll be able to adopt our youngest chimp orphan, Ali, or donate to our Caring through a Crisis appeal, and we'll be posting lots of chimp facts that you can share with your friends to raise awareness of these incredible apes and the threats that they face.
The coronavirus pandemic is having a huge impact on our funding, so every penny counts and we are extremely grateful for all of your support. If you'd like to find out more, you can read about our Caring through a Crisis appeal or, if you can, please donate below.
