Last month, in May, a beautiful baby chimp named Kabi arrived at JGI’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre. During a routine patrol, forest guards came upon a small group of poachers who had set up a makeshift camp deep in the forest in northern Congo.
The site was littered with dead animals, skins, and one small, terrified chimpanzee.
While the hunters managed to escape, Kabi, named after a nearby town, Mokabi, was saved. We can only imagine the horror little Kabi must have witnessed.
Thankfully, Kabi had no wounds and was emotionally stable – although he is receiving treatment for intestinal parasites.
Kabi is a strong young chimpanzee and will be given all the love and care that he needs to thrive.
A caregiver, Cristel, acts as a surrogate mum to Kabi and spends 24 hours a day helping him to heal. Once he moves past this initial period of care, he will be integrated with other chimps where he will be given the social stimulation and community to live happily once more.
Eventually, he may even have the chance to be transferred to one of Tchimpounga’s islands, where he will roam in forests once more with other chimpanzees just like him!
We all want to see Kabi thrive, but only you make that possible.
Kabi’s life has been difficult, but as we know, Tchimpounga is a place for second chances. With your support, Kabi can have a second chance of a happy and safe life that he deserves.