Located in Mefou near Yaounde in Cameroon, Ape Action Africa is a primate rescue and rehabilitation centre. Many orphaned chimpanzees and gorillas have found their way here, having been rescued from the bush meat or illegal pet trades which are unfortunately still very prevalent in this region.
The centre consists of a nursery unit for very young apes that would still be dependent on their mothers, who receive one on one care from the keepers, the quarantine facility for young juveniles and several large forest enclosures for those apes that have been integrated into their own troops. There are also several enclosures for primates taken in by the centre including mangabeys, vervets, mandrills, baboons and numerous guenon species.
The centre relies heavily on donations and volunteers to help and Wilder International are happy to offer time and expertise to conservation or rescue organisations such as this. Refurbishing enclosures, making diets and developing and distributing enrichment were just a few of the duties undertaken. Other tasks included conducting observations on adult male chimps to assess their suitability for introduction and contributing knowledge and skills to improve the welfare of the primates at the sanctuary.
In 2019 our team was also involved in the translocation of a wild western lowland gorilla, later named Freedom, who had wandered into the sanctuary. Young male gorillas, known as blackbacks often find themselves in between their natal and breeding group as they search for a new troop. Due to the potential risks his presence caused to sanctuary animals, staff and villagers nearby, Freedom was sedated and placed in a covered enclosure at the sanctuary until such time he could be relocated further into the Dja forest. Dr Matyas Liptovszky of Wilder International traveled to Cameroon to facilitate the move, conducting health checks and monitoring the gorilla on his journey back to the wild.