The Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to approximately 90% of the world's eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Chimpanzees are an endangered species. Since the mid-1990s, the number of these chimpanzees has declined by 40%, primarily due to illegal hunting and habitat loss. If this trend continues, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that the remaining population will be cut in half over the next 30 years.

Established in 2003, the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center (LPRC) serves as a sanctuary for orphaned primates, victims of both the bushmeat trade and the pet industry. Over the years, LPRC has played a pivotal role in rescuing hundreds of chimpanzees and monkeys. Most of these animals are confiscated by Congolese authorities from poachers engaged in bushmeat hunting. LPRC is located just 4 kilometers from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP), designated by the IUCN as one of the world’s most crucial sites for eastern chimpanzee conservation. Lwiro is ideally situated for the rehabilitation and conservation of chimpanzees and monkeys.

Additionally, LPRC serves as a hub for local conservation education and outreach efforts. LPRC has been educating people about the value of wildlife and the dangers of poaching and animal trafficking since 2012. LPRC runs “Roots & Shoots” programs, developed by Jane Goodall, reaching scores of children each year. It also delivers lessons at schools in villages surrounding KBNP and educates visitors to the center. Visitors include government officials and traditional leaders who are educated on the importance of wildlife conservation to Congo’s future. LPRC’s multi-prong education efforts reach thousands of people each year.

LPRC spends several thousand dollars each month on food for the nearly 300 animals in its care. LPRC buys all of this food directly from local farmers or at local markets. The primates' diet consists of various fruits and vegetables (purchased from local farmers) and flour (purchased from local markets) to make a daily porridge. LPRC injects thousands of dollars of sorely needed hard currency into the local economy each month. These purchases (and LPRC's full-time employment of more than 55 Congolese staff) provide a pathway for area residents to make their livelihoods by sustaining the animals, rather than by bushmeat hunting or wildlife trafficking.

To learn more about the Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center and its vital work in the conservation of eastern chimpanzees and other primates, visit their website at https://www.lwiroprimates.org/about.  

LPRC is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, https://sanctuaryfederation.org, and is a member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, https://pasa.org.