The Barcelona Zoo and SOS Primates are sending clothing and work equipment from our facilities to the Primate Recovery Center (CRPL) in Lwiro, a city in the province of South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Zoo’s collaboration with CRPL started on 2010, through the grants awarded by the Barcelona Zoo Foundation, aimed at the conservation, research and reintroduction of endangered species.
In this occasion, the collaboration consists of providing CRPL caretakers with proper clothing and equipment to carry out all the tasks that are performed daily at the centre: cleaning and disinfection of facilities, food preparation, recollection of branches so primates can play and make their nests. The initiative has emerged from the Zoo caretakers linked to SOS Primates, and the work equipment collected among zoo workers consists of trousers, shirts, polo shirts, raincoats and boots. The shipped material is duly inventoried, after having undergoing a rigorous inspection, cleaning and packaging process, and it constitutes a great aid, since the maintenance costs of the centre have increased much lately, with the arrival of new seized pups.
Some of the material has already reached its destination, but the CRPL and SOS Primates are currently calling on airlines and NGOs, to help them complete the transportation.
ENDANGERED PRIMATES: RESCUE AND CONSERVATION
The CRPL shelters more than 71 chimpanzees and 90 monkeys from eleven different species, which have been rescued from poaching, illegal trade and consumption of jungle meat. The only chance for the survival of these primates is this centre, which provides them with decent living conditions. The facility is located in a wooded area and they live in semi-freedom, to increase their level of socialization and the development of the appropriate behaviours of each species.
In the future, CRPL wants to reintroduce these animals into their natural habitat, following the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) procedures.
The task accomplished by CRPL and SOS Primates goes beyond seeking the well-being and care of primates in the area. CRPL buys fruits and vegetables from local farmers, to encourage local economy and employment. The centre has already created more than 44 local jobs and is currently carrying out an awareness program that takes more than 3,000 people every year, including military personnel, scholars and leaders of local communities in the area. Thus, CRPL and SOS Primates provide a transversal support to the local population.
SOS Primates is a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness about the fragile situation of primates and the areas where they inhabit, in order to be able to contribute to their welfare and protection. This organization is formed by a multidisciplinary team of people with a primatology, animal welfare and conservation background. SOS Primates, and is closely related to the Lwiro Primate Recovery Center (CRPL).
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in central Africa, with more than 70 million inhabitants and is greatly rich in natural resources. It is also considered one of the most biodiverse countries in the world: among the many species (some endemic) that inhabit this territory are the chimpanzee, the bonobo, the mountain gorilla and the okapi. Five of its national parks are listed as a World Heritage Site. The area is considered to be one of the most dangerous in Africa, due to its great political and military instability.
Read further about the CRPL’s task in SOS Primates i Lwiro Primates
You can also contribute by making a small donation to the SOS Primates' Campaign More than a race ... for primates and for the Congo's inhabitants