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Introduction
Set on a 1000 hectare game reserve, JGI Chimpanzee Eden is a home to chimpanzees that have been misplaced from their natural habitat. The world renowned Jane Goodall Institute has made this tranquil venue their South African sanctuary and has committed itself to the rescue and care take of chimpanzees in need of refuge.
Being the 1st and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa, this venue will be able to bring the world of chimpanzees closer to humanity through education, tourism and modern technology. Entering the reserve, a mere 15 km from the bustling city of Nelspruit, visitors can expect to be captivated by the beautiful bush surroundings with most of the natural game species roaming the reserve.
Chimpanzee Eden The Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) is the closest relative to humans. In recent years the ‘bush-meat’ trade has grown exponentially as the great wild forests of Africa have become more accessible to humans, largely due to logging which is destroying primate habitats by opening large sections of forest with dirt roads. It is estimated that Chimpanzees will be extinct within their natural habitats in as little time as 10 years. Therefore the Jane Goodall Institute is committed to conserving the primates and has created multiple sanctuaries in Africa. The goal of Chimp Eden is to rescue some of the Chimpanzees that have survived the hunting ordeal but are still misplaced through the lucrative illegal pet trade to zoos, circus performers and medical research facilities. Besides being provided with a home to live out their lives they are also provided with the necessary attention to recover from the trauma that they have experienced. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to see Chimpanzees in semi-wild surroundings with normal social interaction and behavioural patterns under group members. The Chimpanzee groups live within large semi-wild enclosures that are close to their natural habitat. The enclosures also have viewpoints overlooking the forest and ‘foraging areas’. The ‘foraging areas’ have small fruits and berries mixed in Eucalyptus Tree leaves. These ‘foraging areas’ will provide the Chimpanzees with behavioural enrichment and will also provide visitors(accompanied by a trained guide) with a better chance to view them in the large enclosures. Chimps like other Great Apes (Gorillas and Orang-Utans') are finding an ever growing interest from the public, as they are the closest relatives to Human Kind and they are facing a quick extinction in their natural habitat. The Experience The West African design style of Chimp Eden has been selected as this is also the natural habitat region of Chimpanzees. Tour operators can look forward to having a trained guide escort them through the duration of their itinerary. The experience will commence as soon as a visitor walks through the giant gates of the sanctuary, towards the education hall. This will not only enlighten visitors on the plight of the primates but will also provide them with useful knowledge on the behaviour of primates. For tour groups their trained guide will be able to take visitors to the location of the Chimpanzees. The Viewing Deck provides visitors with the unique opportunity to view the primates as they approach the deck during guided tours. During this tour, questions can be raised to the trained guide about the behaviour and life of the chimpanzees. As soon as the first enclosure has been covered the tourist group(alongside a trained guide) can move on to the second and third enclosure. Tour summary:
Education Hall he Education hall has multimedia and signage illustrations which will take approximately 15 minutes to view. The material provides information of the factors that cause the plight of the primates in Africa and also on ways to participate in the conservation of the primates. Curios Shop The curios shop provides visitors with the opportunity to purchase a diverse selection of JGI and Chimp Eden merchandise.
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