Mission Statement

Project Primate, Inc. is a United States 501C (3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of chimpanzees, chiefly through the support and rehabilitation of chimpanzees who have been orphaned or otherwise taken from the wild, and through local public education.

Project Primate, Inc. is incorporated in the State of Illinois (file number: 6121-440-2) and is exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code (Employer Identification Number: 52-2146831).

Legal Entity of the CCC

Project Primate, Inc. has a Guinean affiliate that is registered in Conakry as a local non-governmental organization (NGO) called Primates-Guinée. An agreement between the local NGO and the Guinean government has been signed. The CCC and Primates-Guinée work in close collaboration with the Direction National des eaux et Forêts (DNEF) and in compliance with Guinean laws. The support of the Guinean government is critical to ensure success of the project. The CCC is a member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance.

Objectives

There are three subspecies of chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes) listed as endangered species by the Convention on Trade in Endangered species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). The subspecies of chimpanzees native to West Africa (Pan Troglodyte Verus) is estimated at less than 14,000 individuals and is the subspecies closest to extinction.

This subspecies has already disappeared in four countries, is almost extinct in four others, and numbers are declining rapidly in three other countries. The destruction of chimpanzee habitat and their illegal trade as bush meat and pets are the two main causes of their disappearance. Project Primate, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as PPI) has been created to support the 41 orphan chimpanzees living in an existing sanctuary in Guinea, West Africa; the Chimpanzee Conservation Center (CCC).

• The first CCC goal is to sustain and improve the lives of the orphan chimpanzees living at the center.
• The CCC's second undertaking is to reintroduce some of the orphan chimpanzees living at the CCC back into the wild, providing that all the IUCN guidelines for reintroduction can be met.
• The third CCC objective is to further educate and inform the Guinean population, expatriate population and eco-tourists of the danger that threatens this species.

Project information

Despite the existence of one of the largest wild chimpanzee populations in West Africa, only one project provides sanctuary for confiscated chimpanzees in Guinea. But the illegal trading of chimpanzees for the pet market, agricultural deforestation and habitat destruction are significant problems for the chimpanzees of Guinea.

To accomplish its first goal, the CCC has continuously improved the living condition of the chimpanzees by improving and developing the CCC chimpanzee facilities, building a veterinary room, two quarantine areas and installing a large electrical fence which provides the chimpanzees with more freedom.

In order to meet its second goal, the CCC is re-socializing the chimpanzees in order to prepare them for their release. This re-socialization process includes food search, nest making, behavioral study, group dynamic study and predator awareness. The most difficult task left is has been to find the perfect release site. A number of criteria have to be met which explain the difficulty and time spent in finding such a location. We have decided to establish the release site within the Parc National du Haut Niger (Park).

CCC's third goal of education has been ongoing through the creation of stickers and posters, as well as, broadcasted radio messages. Since September 2005, the CCC and Project Primate are major partners to the chimpanzee conservation and sensitization program funding by USAID and managed by the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). The CCC's role in this program is specifically aimed at creating a mass media campaign in order to enhance Guineans awareness about the protection of wild chimpanzees. The director of the CCC is acting as key personnel in Guinea. To see the stickers and hear the broadcasted radio messages go to our "Education" section.

The CCC's ultimate goal is to eventually become a regional chimpanzee sanctuary and to preserve the wild population of chimpanzees existing in Guinea to prevent the extinction of the subspecies Verus, which is rapidly approaching.

Funding needs

PPI has been fundraising for the CCC since its creation in 1999. The funding has been always difficult to get but despite this problem common to chimpanzee sanctuaries, the CCC has managed to reach its goals.

The basic running costs of the CCC are on average, $50,000/year. That amount does not include a salary for the director or the veterinarian who have both been working as volunteers since the beginning of the CCC. Additional funding is also needed to set up the release site and release the 1st group of chimps back into the wild.

Some of the costs for the release are as follows:

• $30,000 to set up the release site
• $35,000 to purchase the GPS Collar Tracking Devices
• $30,000 to buy a reliable 4X4