​Chimpanzees love trees! And as you can see, our forested habitats give them plenty of room to climb, swing, and jump, all natural behaviors.

In this clip, watch big sister Florence encourage little Friday to climb, and be joined by their whole family.

In the heart of the Cameroon jungle a football team bears the name of the animal they seek to save. They are the Silverbacks.

Documentary film maker James Baines has just released his exceptional film about our workers' football club and their work to save gorillas. 

This captivating 10-minute documentary is only part football. The rest is behind-the-scenes life in the forest. You'll see and hear from our Director Rachel Hogan, General Manager Alex Benitez and Vet Tech Nwaboh Leonard. 

If you'd like your own Big A logo gear like vet tech Leonard is wearing, visit our Etsy shop.

You'll also notice a very distinctive football, one of many generously donated by Park, a company working to change the world by providing soccer gear to charities.

As promised to our supporters around the globe, here is an update on how we are preparing for the threat of COVID-19.

     You will be happy to know that our animals and staff remain well, though infections are increasing in Cameroon and the schools have been closed. The country's borders and air travel remain closed, but the markets and roads are open. We are still able to make food runs to purchase fresh produce for the animals, though finding the quantities we need for our 360 residents is a growing challenge, as are rising prices.

     You can be assured that we are taking every possible precaution in the forest to protect every gorilla, chimpanzee and monkey in our care, as well as those who care for them, including closing the sanctuary to the public, suspending our volunteer program and enhancing health protocols throughout.  

      To reduce the risk of virus transmission, we are limiting outside contact as much as possible. Essential staff are now staying on-site full time, wearing masks and gloves and having their temperatures taken multiple times during the day. They still have their days off, but they spend them in the park. Education and community programs have been suspended, as have new construction projects. Those staff members are at home, using their paid holiday leave. A reduced construction team remains on-site for emergencies and needed repairs, and the security team is in full force. 
 
     To the gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys who have found safety at Ape Action Africa, much of their daily life is normal. They have dedicated caregivers, good, nutritious food, excellent health care and are enjoying family life in safe rainforest.    

     But we are facing the threat of disruptions in food, fuel, veterinary and other supplies essential to keeping them safe and healthy. 

     If you can afford to give, please consider making a donation and joining Ape Action Africa in facing this exceptional challenge. No gift is too small, and we thank you.

Please stay healthy and safe,
Susan

           Ape Action Africa has made conservation history by becoming the first sanctuary in Cameroon to successfully return a western lowland gorilla to the wild!
 
         As soon as the adult male gorilla arrived at Ape Action Africa, Director Rachel Hogan OBE was determined that he would return to his natural habitat, so she named him Freedom. Months of hard work and collaboration went into finding a suitable area for Freedom to be returned to the forest and into planning the logistics of safely and securely transporting the 135kg - 300 lbs! - gorilla from the sanctuary to the return site. ​

The Saving Gorillas Tour 2019 has been a resounding success! Ape Action Africa's first-ever fundraising tour raised more than $23,000 for the gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys in our care. We thank every single person who came to see us, brought a friend, helped out, bid in the auctions, decorated a gorilla (more below!) and made generous donations.

Hundreds of friends, new and old, turned out to hear Rachel Hogan OBE, Director of Ape Action Africa, tell her story of 18 years working to save these magnificent animals in their native rainforest. From California to South Carolina to New York, we laughed and cried and committed ourselves to seeing that Rachel has the resources needed to continue this most important work.

​Enjoy these photos of the fun!

​In nature, there comes a time in a male gorilla's life when he either becomes the head of the family or moves off to live alone or with other adult males in what are called "bachelor" groups. At Ape Action Africa, they need a little help moving.

With their night house complete, featuring a separate room for each of them, Nkan, Shai and Djanga were moved from our largest gorilla group to their new habitat in late April.

And you don't just walk a silverback gorilla to his new home!

We are absolutely delighted to announce that our director, Rachel Hogan, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list!  Rachel has devoted her life to the conservation of Cameroon’s primates, making so many sacrifices along the way, and this honour is so richly deserved. 

Her passion for gorillas began as a young child, but her dream to work with them became a reality in 2001 when she travelled to Cameroon to volunteer for AAA for three months. Just as she was getting ready to return home to Birmingham, a tiny, two-week-old gorilla arrived at the sanctuary. No one had ever successfully hand-reared such a small gorilla, and Rachel abandoned her plans to return home.

During the nearly 20 years since that time, it has been a pleasure to see Rachel grow from a shy volunteer who was focused on Nkan Daniel, into our confident director of today, responsible for more than 350 animals and 50 staff. She now works closely with government ministers, has hosted the Prime Minister of Cameroon at Mefou, and has met the President’s wife and the Secretary General of the Presidency, both of whom are very supportive of her work.

As a volunteer in early days, Rachel was filmed with Nkan Daniel for a BBC programme called Ape Hunters, but she refused to speak! She is now so confident in front of the public that her talk at the Explorers Club in New York was the first time in 150 years that the event was sold out, and she shared Shufai’s surgery in Operation Wild on the BBC. Her profile within Cameroon and internationally is becoming increasingly important in her lifelong quest to protect Cameroon’s primates.
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Many congratulations Rachel, from all our staff in Cameroon, the board of trustees, all our volunteers around the world and of course those who you work so tirelessly for … all the gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys in your care and their cousins in the wild.