Reflecting on 2016 with Gratitude!

We are grateful for all our supporters . Today we'd like to share with you some of the highlights from our friends in Cameroon at In Defense of Animals-Africa.

A team from Sanaga-Yong rescued a juvenile gorilla who was eating from local farms and frightening the villagers. It’s likely he had been taken captive by a poacher, held as a pet, and then abandoned at the edge of the forest. This poor lonely guy was not only unafraid of humans, he was seeking their company! Unable to fend for himself in the forest, he would have been killed by the villagers had his visits continued. Once safe at Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue, arrangements were made for him to be transferred to Ape Action Africa, a partner sanctuary which houses other orphaned gorillas.

After working actively with Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and negotiating with many stakeholder during the last four years, IDA-Africa reached a big milestone! The Minister signed a public announcement of the government’s intent to protect the forest! After a 90-day public comment period, we hope to move forward to solidify protected area boundaries and support the Ministry in hiring eco-guards to prevent poaching.

Recognizing that the youth are critical to the survival of future generations of wildlife, IDA-Africa’s education team developed a children’s book, Je Protégé Les Chimpanzés (I Protect the Chimpanzees) and designed a fun five-day classroom project. The program is on track to educate 3000 children on conservation and compassion in the 2016-2017 school year!

We hope you're as excited as we are about everything we've shared with you! If you can make a donation to help us continue our lifesaving work, please do so here.