View Exhibtion

Rehabilitating Chimpanzees - A Labour Of Love

Dan Kitwood

The Chimpanzee Conservation Centre (CCC) is a sanctuary and rehabilitation facility for orphaned chimpanzees, supported in part by Project Primate, Inc., a US-based Non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Located along the banks of the Niger River within Haut Niger National Park in Guinea, West Africa, the centre sits inside a vast protected landscape of approximately 6,000 square kilometres of savannah and tropical dry forest.

At the time of my visit, the CCC was caring for around 50 western chimpanzees, one of the most endangered chimpanzee subspecies. Most of these animals were orphaned after being taken from the wild as infants, following the killing of their family members.

According to the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), for every young chimpanzee rescued, as many as ten members of its family may have been killed in the process. The centre provides long-term rehabilitation and care, with the ultimate goal of returning the chimpanzees to the wild; a complex process that can take many years.

Many of the animals arrive with both physical and psychological trauma. Through sustained care, patience, and the dedication of keepers and volunteers, they begin the slow process of recovery, learning essential survival skills and gradually regaining independence. As they develop, the chimpanzees are carefully reintroduced into social groups, preparing them—when conditions allow—for eventual release back into their natural habitat.