PAN AFRICAN SANCTUARY ALLIANCE 1 Int. Zoo Yb. (2018) 52: 1–9 DOI:10.1111/izy.12174 Pan African Sanctuary Alliance: securing a future for the African great apes R. STOKES1, G. TULLY1,* & A. G. ROSATI2 1Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, Portland, Oregon 97219, USA, and 2Department of Psychology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA E-mail: [email protected] The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) is the meeting in Uganda to bring the wildlife unified voice of primate rescue and rehabilitation pro- centres together for the first time. The jects in Africa, and includes 23 member organizations in 13 countries. PASA improves animal welfare by directors of the organizations agreed there regularly evaluating these sanctuaries to ensure that was a need for improved ongoing commu- they operate at a high standard of care, building the nication and, as a result, PASA was capacity of sanctuary staff and providing crisis support formed. Although PASA’s headquarters is to mitigate emergencies. Moreover, PASA works with now in Portland, Oregon, USA, and it is its member organizations to raise awareness globally ‘ fi about wildlife issues and to conduct other large-scale registered as a 501(c)(3) nonpro t organi- conservation projects. In these endeavours, PASA ben- zation’ in the United States, it was created efits greatly from the local experience and connections by the African wildlife centres. PASA- of its member organizations. Finally, nearly all PASA- member institutions work to secure a future member sanctuaries host researchers, thereby contribut- ing to our knowledge of the great apes and other Afri- for all African primates and their habitat. In can primates. Much of PASA’s work is made possible this article, the authors focus on how this by support from zoos around the world. A brief precis unique collaboration of African sanctuaries, of the current work carried out by PASA and its mem- communities, governments and global ber organizations is given, along with descriptions of experts impacts the welfare and conserva- conservation programmes that are planned for the future. tion of great apes. Despite working in extraordinarily chal- Key-words: Africa; chimpanzees; conservation; lenging conditions, members of the Alli- gorillas; great apes; primates; research; welfare. ance are making significant strides in great ape welfare and conservation. They give HISTORY OF THE PAN AFRICAN lifelong care to primates orphaned by the SANCTUARY ALLIANCE (PASA) bushmeat trade and confiscated from the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), illicit pet trade, collaborate with law- the largest association of wildlife centres in enforcement agencies to stop the hunting Africa, includes 23 organizations that col- and trafficking of threatened species, defend lectively care for more than 3000 rescued critical habitat from exploitation, and con- primates (Fig. 1; Table 1). Prior to PASA’s duct community development and education formation, these wildlife centres had similar programmes, reaching more than 500 000 goals and were facing similar challenges, people across Africa each year. Addition- but largely did not communicate with one ally, PASA-member wildlife centres pro- another. In 2000, conservationists, primatol- vide employment for nearly 700 African ogists and senior zoo personnel arranged a people and inject millions of dollars into *Correspondence: Gregg Tully, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, Portland, Oregon 97219, USA. E-mail: gregg@ pasaprimates.org. Twitter: @pasaprimates Int. Zoo Yb. (2018) 52: 1–9 © 2017 The Zoological Society of London 2 CONSERVATION OF GREAT APES Fig. 1. Map of Pan African Sanctuary Alliance member sanctuaries. Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, 2017. local economies. Ferrie et al. (2014) pro- the world, veterinarians, conservationists, vide details on the work carried out by primatologists and educators. Moreover, PASA, although it has now surpassed many many of PASA’s programmes are aimed of the achievements described in that publi- at ensuring the success of its member cation. organizations. A series of published manu- als are freely available on PASA’s web- site (https://www.pasaprimates.org/reports- PASA STRENGTHENS ITS MEMBER manuals), providing information about SANCTUARIES sanctuary standards and best practices, pri- PASA’s unique evaluation and accredita- mate veterinary health, and strategies and tion process brings credibility to the wild- methods for conservation-education pro- life centres, and PASA membership gives grammes in Africa. These are widely used them access to a global network of advi- throughout the African primate sanctuary sors, including experts from zoos around community. PASA’s annual reports and Int. Zoo Yb. (2018) 52: 1–9 © 2017 The Zoological Society of London PAN AFRICAN SANCTUARY ALLIANCE 3 invites sanctuary directors, leaders of zoos CAMEROON and consultants to give presentations and Ape Action Africa participate in panel discussions on diverse Limbe Wildlife Centre topics, including fundraising, disease pre- Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue CONGO vention, enclosure construction and strate- HELP Congo gic planning. This helps the sanctuaries to Projet Protection des Gorilles – Congo improve their primate care, become more Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre sustainable and achieve their missions. In DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO fi Centre de Rehabilitation des Primates de Lwiro 2017, for the rst time, the Strategic Devel- (CRPL) opment Conference was combined with a Jeunes Animaux Confisques au Katanga (J.A.C.K.) Conservation Education and Outreach Lola Ya Bonobo Workshop for the coordinators of education GABON programmes at the wildlife centres (PASA, Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project Parc de la Lekedi 2017). The conference and workshop were Projet Protection des Gorilles – Gabon attended by 53 people, including 17 leaders GAMBIA and 14 education professionals from PASA- Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project member organizations, four members of GUINEA ’ Centre de Conservation pour Chimpanzes (CCC) PASA s Board of Directors, and others KENYA committed to the conservation and protec- Colobus Conservation tion of Africa’s primates (PASA, 2017). In Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary previous years, members of the European MALAWI Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Lilongwe Wildlife Centre NIGERIA participated regularly in the conference and Drill Ranch offered valuable insights on areas such as SIERRA LEONE organizational management, networking and Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary writing grants. Several chapters of the SOUTH AFRICA Chimp Eden American Association of Zoo Keepers Vervet Monkey Foundation (AAZK) support PASA and its members, UGANDA particularly by sponsoring wildlife-centre Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary directors to attend the annual PASA confer- ZAMBIA ence. Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Table 1. The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance Primate Care Training Program (PASA) is an association of 23 wildlife centres in 13 countries working to secure a future for primates in Many alliance members lack the funding Africa and their habitats. and connections necessary to provide staff with advanced training by skilled instruc- tors. In 2017, PASA responded to this reports on recent conferences are also problem by launching a Primate Care available. Training Program aimed at engendering sig- nificant, long-term improvements in the welfare of thousands of great apes and Strategic Development Conference monkeys. PASA identifies highly qualified PASA holds an annual Strategic Develop- instructors who are employed by zoos or ment Conference for the directors of its have managed primate care and have abun- member wildlife centres. This conference dant experience in training African primate provides directors with an opportunity to caregivers, and matches them with PASA- share ideas and learn from each other, and member sanctuaries whose training needs to discuss how PASA can most effectively meet their specialties. PASA then arranges support their work (Plate 1). PASA also for the instructors to spend weeks or Int. Zoo Yb. (2018) 52: 1–9 © 2017 The Zoological Society of London 4 CONSERVATION OF GREAT APES Plate 1. Directors of sanctuaries and wildlife centres that are members of the Pan African Sanctuary Alli- ance have a meeting at The Strategic Development Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in December 2015. Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, 2017. months at the sanctuaries to train all the sanctuaries, meaning governments are more animal-care staff. The specific topics cov- likely to send to them primates that local ered, duration of the training and teaching law-enforcement agencies have confiscated methods are customized for the needs and from wildlife traffickers. Having suitable resources of each sanctuary. Since the start homes for confiscated apes and monkeys of the Program in early 2017, more than increases the government’s capacity and 300 staff who work directly with animals motivation to arrest traffickers, thereby pre- have received comprehensive training. The venting the removal of additional animals instructors, who have often gained their from the wild. own experience by working in zoos, teach animal-care staff to follow internationally Veterinary Supplies Program recognized best-practice guidelines and work to high standards. In addition to train- Many of PASA’s member wildlife centres ing animal-care staff directly, the instructors have an urgent need for medical supplies will teach the management how to educate that are difficult or impossible to source in new staff.