Couple build refuge for orphaned baby chimps in Liberia
- 7 years ago
A heartwarming video has emerged of a couple taking baby chimps into their refuge after their mothers were killed by poachers for the illegal bushmeat trade.
The footage, shot on June 19 in Mambah-Kaba, Liberia, shows Jenny and Jim Desmond explaining their work with the baby monkeys and raising awareness about illegal poaching.
"Jenny and Jim Desmond arrived in Liberia in 2015 with a big job to do – overseeing the care of the 66 chimpanzees abandoned on six islands by a New York-based blood bank," they wrote online.
"Little did they know that, within weeks of their arrival, the Liberian government would be adding to their workload by bringing them orphaned chimpanzees whose families were killed by poachers for the illegal bushmeat trade."
"Now, the Desmonds have to build a sanctuary in Liberia from the ground up," they added.
The footage, shot on June 19 in Mambah-Kaba, Liberia, shows Jenny and Jim Desmond explaining their work with the baby monkeys and raising awareness about illegal poaching.
"Jenny and Jim Desmond arrived in Liberia in 2015 with a big job to do – overseeing the care of the 66 chimpanzees abandoned on six islands by a New York-based blood bank," they wrote online.
"Little did they know that, within weeks of their arrival, the Liberian government would be adding to their workload by bringing them orphaned chimpanzees whose families were killed by poachers for the illegal bushmeat trade."
"Now, the Desmonds have to build a sanctuary in Liberia from the ground up," they added.