Mission Caita continues

Tina, José, Walter, and Maria were found in 2019 in a local’s backyard. Unfortunately, due to the lack of care and nutrition, Maria died before our arrival. Although it was determined that the immediate rescue of the remaining chimps was crucial as they were cage-bound for an extensive period, our hands were tied. In Wild at Life e.V.’s small sanctuary, we had limited space and couldn’t take in three chimps simultaneously. Moreover, the emergence of COVID-19 hindered our progress.

Instead, what we did was bringing the care to these chimps where they were, while also improving their living conditions.

The Progress

While Wild at Life e.V.’s commitment involves rescuing and rehabilitating as many trafficked and injured animals as possible, our partnership with JGI takes our efforts further. It enables us to relocate victims of very severe cases to the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, where primates receive comprehensive care addressing both physical wounds and mental trauma. This partnership is called Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

As both organisations are entities in different countries, we each held the responsibility of obtaining documents ahead of the relocation. JGI’s Dr. Rebeca Atencia worked closely with the Congolese Agency of Protected Areas and Wildlife to organise the necessary paperwork, while Asli with the Angolan Ministry of Environment.

Owing to our good relationship with the local authorities as well as the Angolan government, we weren’t only able to gain the exporting documents smoothly, we were also able to open the borders, which were closed at that time due to the pandemic.

Once JGI met us in Angola, we immediately initiated the rescue mission of Tina, Walter and José. Tina’s rescue in particular required a lot of effort because of her delicate condition and fragile health. After the three chimps were seized, we picked up Januario from Wild at Life e.V.’s camp. Throughout this process, Pim, our Advisory Board Member and Dutch Representative, joined and helped us in Angola for this mission.

The synergy created when two committed NGOs unite, becoming a powerful voice for the voiceless, is truly extraordinary.

Our heartfelt appreciation goes to the JGI team for this invaluable partnership.

To read about the personalities of each chimpanzee, you may visit JGI’s wonderfully written article.

Our Importance

Wild at Life e.V. is the only NGO present in Angola. Since our establishment, poaching cases have dramatically dropped in the Mayombe forest. This wouldn’t have been possible without the patrolling rangers who risk their lives daily to be at the forefront of wildlife conservation. We are confident that one day, the poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Angola will be eradicated.

Catch a glimpse of what went down that day with these YouTube shorts!

Update on Kuxie

Kuxie, rescued with Zizi and Zeze as part of Mission Caita, is doing incredibly well in our camp in Angola. She is fun to be around, curious, and extremely agile.

Kuxie is a Moustached Guenon and yet another victim of the notorious wildlife trade. Unfortunately, Moustached Guenons are being targeted for bushmeat in Angola, a practice driven by factors like traditional practices, source of income, and food security needs, contributing to their population decline.

In memory of Caita, we named this ongoing rescue operations of trafficked primates in Angola “Mission Caita”. Caita might be gone, but with the birth of Mission Caita, dozens of trafficked primates were saved and awareness towards primate conservation has been raised. Caita is the martyr of an important cause and a true heroine.