When Wounda was first discovered in the jungles of the Conga, orphaned after poachers killed her parents, she was sick and on the verge of death. Left to fend for herself, the young chimp stood little chance of survival — but thanks to the work of conservationists from the Jane Goodall Institute, Wounda, and many like her, are being given a new lease on life.
Wounda is one of 160 chimpanzee orphans rescued by the Institute, sent to undergo treatment and learn survival skills at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center. Once the chimps have fully recovered, they are then released on the grounds of the Institute’s vast island sanctuary, allowed to carry out their lives free of human threats.
So far, the Jane Goodall Institute has reintegrated 15 chimpanzees back into the wild, with Wounda being latest. Before embarking into the dense jungle, the orphaned chimp embraced the famed primatologist, her rescuer — a show of gratitude, perhaps, for the chance to start life anew.
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