SeaWorld Comes to the Aid of Orphaned Primates

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund has been a leader in wildlife conservation, research and conservation education for 13 years. And while most of the grants awarded by the Fund go to projects with defined timelines and long-term objectives and goals, the Fund does receive requests for crisis grants when conservation organizations are faced with unforeseeable challenges. 

CERCOPAN was one such organization that was in need of a crisis grant, so this year on Feb. 29, the Fund awarded CERCOPAN, an organization dedicated to protecting rainforests for primates and people, an Animal Crisis Grant.

Located in an area home to the highest number of primate species in all of Africa, south-eastern Nigeria, CERCOPAN has been  actively involved in the rescue, rehabilitation and return of orphaned primates since 1995. In addition to these programs CERCOPAN provides educational and volunteer opportunities for local communities to become involved in the conservation of these forests 

The funds provided by the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Fund were used to ensure the on-the-ground work continues, as well as to upgrade the existing primate care enclosures to ready the animals for release into their forest home.

“The funds allowed us most critically to continue the process of integrating selected primates into bonded, releasable groups. This is a long process that can only be carried out by expert primatologists,” said Claire Coulson, CERCOPAN Board of Trustees.

The care of these orphaned and in-need primates has been a concern for the members of CERCOPAN as they have seen a drop in funding since 2013. At a point of critical importance, The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund was able to come to the assistance of this incredible organization.

Coulson added that “Without the bridging loan we would not have been able to keep the programme moving forward and in fact the release programme would have stopped…”

You can help to keep these important programs moving forward, too! Click here to learn how you can donate directly to CERCOPAN, or to find out what everyday actions you can take to keep our wildlife and wild places safe.