Our Global Partners

Its name consists of words from three native languages “Inti” means “Sun” in Quechua; “Wara” means “Star” in Aymara; “Yassi” means moon in “Chiriguano-Guarani.” The three sanctuaries the group operates accepts rescued animals of many species, including red and black howler monkeys, owl monkeys, spider monkeys, titi monkeys, and two species of capuchin monkeys. Other mammals include spectacled bears, giant otters, ocelots and jaguars. It also cares for many parrot species, including amazons and macaws, as well as toucans. IPPL has helped them for many years and the group says, “We are truly grateful to the IPPL team and their supporters for their ongoing backing.”

This is one of the last places on earth where gorillas and chimpanzees still exist in the wild. The sanctuary is based in the Mefou Park in Cameroon, in the Congo basin rainforest. The sanctuary currently cares for primates confiscated from traffickers involved in the illegal meat, trophy, fetish and live animal trades. Over 250 apes (gorillas, chimpanzees and 14 species of monkeys are cared for by the sanctuary.

The sanctuary was founded by Sheri Speede DVM, who wrote a wonderful book called “Kindred Beings: What Seventy-Three Chimpanzees Taught Me about Life, Love and Connection” about her experiences. Sanaga Yong cares for over 70 rescued chimpanzees. Sanaga Yong also has an education program.

He and his staff track down smugglers and get animals confiscated and sent to rescue centers. Many prosecutions have taken place. LAGA works closely with Cameroon’s Ministry of Forest and Fauna and other government agencies. Cameroon contains significant numbers of four sub-species of great apes. The most immediate threat to most ape populations in Cameroon is illegal hunting for meat, body parts and live infants sold as pets or exported. These activities are all illegal, but in the past these laws have not been properly enforced and hence the trade, and the slaughter, has been commonplace.

The center was the dismal old “Victoria Zoo” in British days. Liza Gadsby and Peter Jenkins of the Pandrillus Foundation decided to convert it into a wildlife rescue center and one would not recognize the old zoo. The sanctuary has grown and it now houses primates large and small, including gorillas, chimpanzees, drills, and several species of guenons in excellent enclosures.

Chile has no native primates but many are smuggled into the country from other nations, and confiscated monkeys end up at the center. The Center also cared briefly for a confiscated circus chimpanzee who was sent to an African sanctuary. Director Elba Munoz has spoken about the Center’s work at an IPPL conference.

Monkeys are caught in Colombia’s neighbors, Peru and Brazil, and sold to a research laboratory in Leticia, Colombia, which conducts experiments into malaria. Angela has been involved in lawsuits to protect the monkeys and has been a speaker at two IPPL conferences.

The sanctuary is situated only four kilometers from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP). The area is inscribed as a World Heritage Site in Danger since 1997 and it is listed at the 3rd most important site world-wide for conservation of the Eastern Chimpanzee by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Between 2008 and 2012, IPPL funded the first electric-fenced enclosure for chimpanzees. Then manager Andrea Edwards was excited and wrote us that, “Without the assistance of IPPL and the IPPL supporters, these chimpanzees would still be waiting in their cages. We cannot thank IPPL and IPPL members enough for their generosity and support. We look forward to sharing more wonderful stories with you as this project continues.”

The sanctuary is in a very troubled area of Africa and was the victim of arson a few years ago. IPPL and a friendly foundation have helped provide better security. IPPL indeed helped J.A.C.K. built several night rooms for the chimpanzees. IPPL also equipped the playgrounds with huge Jungle Gyms which not only are aimed to develop strength and balance of the rescued chimpanzees and also provide some shelter in case of heavy rains and beating sun. In 2017 IPPL is covering the costs of building a vet clinic.

The species cared for include woolly and squirrel monkeys. Some arrive in terrible condition after being kept as pets. Sumak Allpa works to form these monkeys into cohesive groups and release them into protected areas. The project is run by Hector and Martina Wagner.

The decline was due to the local pet trade and smuggling from the country of baby chimpanzees. The sanctuary is located in Guinea, West Africa, inside the Haut Niger National Park. The project cares for over 50 orphaned chimpanzees confiscated by the Guinean government, and works to release chimpanzees, when possible, to the wild after completion of their rehabilitation process (at least 10 years). It also works to educate the public about the threats faced by wild chimpanzee populations and illegal wildlife trafficking.

It is the only conservation program fully dedicated to the conservation of the Western hoolock gibbons. It provides care for around 40 of these Western hoolock gibbons rescued from illegal trade at the Sonja Wildlife Rescue Center in Meghalaya which does rescue, rehabilitation and reintroduction to life in the forest. It also works on community development and education.

It is the world’s largest gibbon protection project, caring for over 200 gibbons belonging to four species gibbons and close to 80 siamangs. It operates in Borneo and Sumatra. Palm oil production has led to the destruction of much of Indonesia’s rain forests. Gibbons are brought into captivity by the shooting of their mothers and the babies are often kept as pets. Kalaweit takes in cast-off pets and injured animals. Kalaweit also operates an educational radio station. As soon as IPPL heard about this group, we added it to our grant program and have been helping it ever since.

It works to protect slow lorises, nocturnal primates with high huge eyes. Sadly these harmless animals are heavily persecuted for the pet trade and their teeth are removed with chisels to prevent them biting. IPPL has been helping Anna with her efforts to ban the trade and rescue its loris victims.

Among many of the PROFAUNA projects that IPPL has given assistance are surveys of several of Indonesia’s ghastly “bird markets” that sell wild animals, and a variety of demonstrations. PROFAUNA’S campaigns are widespread throughout the country, including in Java, Sumatera, Kalimantan, and Bali. These campaigns encompass education programs, advocacy, investigations, and primate rehabilitation and release.

In 1977, IPPL investigator Anna Merz found 1,000 colobus monkey skins made into rugs and coats being offered for sale in Nairobi’s tourist shops. In 1979 Paula Kahumbu founded Wakuluzu the Friends of the Colobus (now operating as Colobus Conservation), which worked on many fronts, including constructing bridges across highways to prevent colobus and other monkeys from being killed crossing the high speed Diani Highway. IPPL has provided help to this organization since it was founded. Paula has spoken at an IPPL conference and is now internationally recognized as one of Africa’s leading conservationists.

The greatest threats to the survival of this species are the illegal trade of infants taken from the wild to be used as pets and tourist props, habitat destruction by logging and overgrazing, and negative impacts from unmanaged tourism which increases vulnerability to poaching, can cause disease and health problems from feeding, and leads to road deaths. MPRC works on all threats to this species which was added to the Appendix I of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) at its 2016 conference.

It fought a plan by two US research laboratories to start capture and export of Nepal’s rhesus monkeys for experimentation. The highlight of this campaign was the placement of a banner saying “Stop the Monkey Business” on the summit of Mount Everest on 19 May 2009 by mountain guide Jyamchang Bhote. The banner carried WWG’s and IPPL’s logos The Nepalese government reacted by ending the project and already-captured monkeys were released.

Liza Gadsby and Peter Jenkins were studying the primates of Nigeria and realized that the drill monkeys were heavily exploited in the bush meat trade and that this trade left many orphans. In 1991 Liza and Peter founded the Drill Rehabilitation and Breeding Center (DRBC, also known as the “Drill Ranch.”). Over 75 drills have been rescued and rehabilitated to life with members of their own species. Drills do not do well in captivity, yet DRBC has recorded over 250 births to rehabilitated wild born parents and their offspring, making the project the world’s most successful captive breeding program for an endangered primate. Today, 286 drills live in 6 family groups, each in their own natural habitat electrified enclosure of up to 9 hectares. In addition the Drill Ranch cares for 25 chimpanzees.

It is located in the Peruvian Amazon on the banks of the River Mayo. It was after witnessing the cruel local traffic in primates that Helene and Carlos created their sanctuary in Tarangue. Most of the animals reaching the sanctuary are woolly and spider monkeys. Most have been rescued from horrible conditions. The majority are babies whose mothers have been killed and eaten. Hélène and Carlos also work to stop wildlife trafficking throughout the region.

Both are Critically Endangered and have been repeatedly listed among the world’s 25 most threatened primate species. The group’s program consist of environmental education principally for schoolchildren and youth in areas of high biodiversity. The group plans to design and print games, booklets and short videos to make the issue of conservation truly interesting and exciting for the children.

It was founded in 1995 after the trade in chimpanzees came to an end with the departure from Sierra Leone of the notorious chimpanzee trafficker Franz Sitter. IPPL has helped the organization since it was founded by Bala Amarasekaran. We provided major funding in 2014 when the Ebola epidemic struck Sierra Leone. The volunteers all went home and people cancelled their reservations to the sanctuary’s eco-lodges. Fortunately, none of the sanctuary’s resident chimpanzees or staff were infected.

In 1994, Rita Miljo began attempting to release hand-raised and rehabilitated orphaned baboons back into the wild, an endeavor that was met with great success. Sadly, Rita and three of her favorite baboons died in a fire on 27 July 2012. Samantha Dewhirst and Stephen Munro have continued and expanded Rita’s work. CARE houses several hundred baboons. Baboons are heavily persecuted in South Africa. CARE makes great use of volunteers to raise the orphans it receives. Since 2006, there have been seven releases of orphaned hand-raised and rehabilitated chacma baboons.

The sanctuary cares for primates including monkeys, gibbons, and lorises, but also elephants, large cats and many other species. It also has a location in Laos. Edwin has played a major role in fighting the problem of smuggling primates into Thailand, especially the Highly-Endangered orangutans. Edwin has been a speaker at several of IPPL’s biennial conferences.

DLF works to protect doucs from the many threats they face, including poaching, deforestation, and hunting. The douc langur is one of the earth’s most beautiful primates. It is found in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. There are three subspecies; the red-shanked, grey-shanked, and black-shanked. It also works to educate the Vietnamese people about their remarkable wildlife. Local employees are hired to protect the doucs and their forest homes, remove snares and traps set for doucs and other animals, and confiscate doucs kept as pets.

They work on conservation, education, law enforcement, and care for primates and other wildlife rescued from trade. A recent grant from IPPL is for the construction of a much-needed new primate enclosure. WAR provides homes for many primates, including the yellow-cheeked crested gibbon, pygmy lorises and douc langurs. WAR also runs wildlife education programs in Vietnamese schools.