LWIRO PRIMATES-Maternity Clinic Rehabilitation
Faune Saine Communite Saine! (Healthy Wildlife Healthy Community)
This project exemplified the model of creating community understanding and support in order to save wildlife. The CRPLS was created in 2002 for two Congolese Institutions; Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and the Centre de Recherché en Sciences Naturelles (CRSN). During the second war of DRC (1998-2004) the poaching increased exponentially and they decided to give the orphans a safe place to recover physically and physiologically. Caring for numerous chimpanzees and monkeys of 11 different species, together with parrots, turtles, hyrax and porcupine all of which have been victims of poaching and pet trade, the Centre for the Rehabilitation for Primates has become an important conservation tool for Primates in DR Congo. The uniqueness of this project is that IT IS WORKING and the CRPL has become an ambassador to the community. To ensure that the local communities benefit, each one of the keepers and workers at Lwiro are from local families. The chimpanzee food is bought locally on a daily basis, and conservation and educational programs run regularly through local communities and schools. Their education and sensitization program reaches more than 3.000 people per year. CRPL is an accredited sanctuary by Pan Africans Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) and Global Federation of Animals Sanctuaries (GFAS). While the need for the animals is continually increasing so do the needs for the surrounding community. After decades of efforts we know that we have to support the needs of the community to save wildlife and without involving community there can not exist long term conservation.
While the needs of the community are many the Banovich Wildscapes Foundation has chosen to address the needs of the mothers and infants of the Lwiro community with the rehabilitation of the Lwiro Maternity Clinic. It is critical to the success of the program for wildlife and humans alike that money continues to run through the CRPL so it continues to be seen as a positive force in the community and the people and government continue to be engaged in its success. WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE and with continued support we can gain momentum in aiding the community understanding that in conserving WILDLIFE everyone wins.
