Tchimpounga is situated on a coastal plain of savannah and galleried mosaic forest patches. Built for the Jane Goodall Institute by Conoco in 1992, the sanctuary is located 31 miles (50km) north of Pointe Noire in the region of Kouilou, Republic of Congo and is the largest chimpanzee sanctuary on the African continent. Currently the sanctuary is housing 115 orphaned chimpanzees - a number that is rapidly growing. Over the last two years, we have had 40 chimpanzees brought to our sanctuary, and in the past year alone, we have seen more than a 20 percent increase in the chimpanzee population at the sanctuary.

For more than ten years, the Tchimpounga Sanctuary has provided a refuge in the Congo Basin for chimpanzees orphaned by the bushmeat trade. In most cases, the Congolese authorities deliver the chimpanzees to the sanctuary after confiscating them from hunters trying to sell the young chimps into the pet or entertainment trades.

Objectives:

• Community-Centered Conservation
• Chimpanzee Rescue & Reintroduction
• Education & Engaging Youth
• Controlling the Bushmeat Trade
• Role of Women in Communities