Fongoli Project Scope

Dr. Jill Pruetz initiated the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project in 2001, after surveying chimpanzees and potential study sites in Senegal in 2000. After 4 years of habituation effort, researchers were able to begin nest-to-nest follows of adult males in 2005, and all members of the Fongoli chimpanzee community were individually identified by 2006. The research has been conducted continuously since that time. The Fongoli chimpanzee community was the first community of chimpanzees to be habituated to observer presence in a savanna landscape.

Neighbor ape:

In order to conserve the small population of savanna chimpanzees in Senegal, West Africa our organization Neighbor Ape works to provide support for the education of people living alongside them and to aid in their welfare as well. Our project includes educational workshops at villages sharing land with chimpanzees, as well as providing scholarships for village children so that they can attend mission schools in regional towns or nursing school in the capitol city of Dakar. We especially try to assist young women.

Challenge:

Humans and chimpanzees are increasingly coming into conflict in Senegal as the population of the country grows with increasing economic development, specifically due to the growth of gold mining projects. Problems chimpanzees face are the same ones that humans will also face soon with increasing resource extraction & environmental change.

Solution:

Education correlates with positive conservation practices, especially the education of women. In addition to educating the local human population & working to absolve conflicts between chimpanzees and people who live alongside them in Senegal, since our organization’s founding in 2008, we have contributed to the education of more than 60 village children, who are given the opportunity for better education by access to schools in regional towns, specific educational programs such as nursing school, or the new dormitory we built. Specifically, We have sponsored the education of village children in schools in regional towns and in professional schools (such as pharmacy school) and colleges in the capitol of Senegal, Dakar. We also built a dormitory, in conjunction with the Senegalese organization, OBARAR, so that Beudick village children can attend school in town.

Additional projects we have funded include the costs of health care needs of people living in the Fangoly area, providing annual school supplies to the village of Djendji and supporting the needs of people living in the largest village within the home range of the Fongoli chimps’ (Djendji), including solar panels for their clinic.

Long-Term Impact:

This project will help local people gain the education and healthcare resources they desire and will work to resolve conflicts between chimpanzees and people living alongside one another. Ultimately, we strive to conserve Senegal's chimpanzees and to provide for the well-being of people that live alongside them.