Support local sanctuary, Chimp Eden
Chimp Eden's operational manager, Jana Jane Swart, encouraged locals to come and support the sanctuary and said children especially enjoy the outing. "And the chimps love the kids, too!"
Two families of 13 and one of seven; this totals 33 chimpanzees at Chimp Eden located out on the R40.
One of these chimps, Joao, has reached the ripe old age of 78, making him the oldest of his kind in the world.
Chimp Eden is for the first time since the beginning of lockdown accepting groups of between 15 and 20 people into its facility per tour, said its operational manager, Jana Jane Swart.
Standing outside one of the three enclosures on the property, with the chimps having a grooming session mere metres away, Swart explained their current predicament resulting from Covid-19.
As chimpanzees can also contract the virus, they had to close for prolonged periods and be extremely careful with the number of people they allow on their guided tours, which limited their income.
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Where people could previously enjoy a meal at their restaurant, this is no longer an option because of the cost of keeping a dining facility fully functional.
This does not, however, take away from the experience of a guided tour that gives you a glimpse into the world of a rescued primate.
Among them are “citizens” from all over Africa, including Angola, Sudan, Ghana, Mozambique and two from South Africa. One even hails from Italy; all with different backstories.
They spend their nights in “evening rooms” and when their caretakers have checked everything in the morning and hidden away their breakfast in the different enclosures, they go outside and search for it. “It’s like a scavenger hunt every morning.”
Swart said before lockdown they had received buses full of tourists from France, Germany, America and more, when, compared to this day (March 29) for example, they had not one single tour.
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She encouraged locals to come and support them and said children especially enjoy the outing. “And the chimps love the kids, too!”
Children under the age of six enter for free while kids under 12 pay R120. Pensioners pay R190 and adults R255. A tour takes between an hour and an hour and a half.
The lockdown definitely influenced the animals as well, said Swart. “They were so gatvol of our faces and so excited when the first small group came to visit.
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“They have personalities just like us. They have unique voices, fingerprints, an obviously they all look different.”
Swart can name them all, even from a distance; from their youngest, Amari (4), to their oldest, Joao, for which she has a special place in her heart.
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