Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage is dedicated to the care and wellbeing of chimpanzees. Often they were rescued from poachers, the illegal bushmeat trade, dilapidated zoos and circuses, and come from all over Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

Since 2014 Chimfunshi has employed a veterinarian who lives and works at Chimfunshi looking after the medical needs of the chimpanzees at the orphanage and sanctuary. In addition to regular health checks, the vet looks after acute cases and the needs of new rescued individuals. These new rescued chimpanzees often require intensive medical care on arrival due to their poor living situations, traumatised, often injured, starved, or dehydrated and need close monitoring and care over a period of several months. Our veterinarian has had to improvise areas for treatments and procedures for the chimpanzees, because we lacked adequate space and facilities but in 2021, we finished the construction of a veterinary clinic on the Chimfunshi grounds.

Chimfunshi is now home to over 145 chimpanzees and the new veterinary clinic is in urgent need of medical equipment, such as an x-ray machine, heart monitor, blood pressure monitor, and infusion pumps, as well as solar panels to power the lights and equipment. We also must complete the interior of three treatment rooms, a laboratory, bathroom, kitchen, office and a store room, so the team can work in adequate conditions.

The Solution

Chimfunshi intends to complete the interior of the Chimpanzee Veterinary & Research Centre including the treatment rooms, utility rooms, laboratory and research facility and provide needed medical devices and surgical resources to the facility.

The objective are:

• to further enhance the level of care of the Chimfunshi chimpanzees and new arrivals to the sanctuary
• to promote the humane and appropriately-conducted research into chimpanzees and primates
• to use the new research facility to improve support from visiting international researchers