Go Ape Foundation

A forest can be cleared in days.
Building a community that wants to protect it takes generations.

This Day, we’re not talking about trees. We’re talking about people.

Because conservation requires support from many directions. But lasting success depends on the people who live closest to these forests and have the greatest stake in their future.

That is why Go Ape Foundation supports environmental education through trusted local partners such as Tacugama Tacugama in Sierra Leone. We don’t just read about the impact in reports. We visit, we listen, and we see the progress with our own eyes.

Is it slow? Sometimes it feels that way, especially when you compare it to the speed at which forests can disappear.

But lasting change rarely happens overnight. It grows through knowledge, opportunity and local ownership.

If we want rainforests to have a future, we must invest in the people who will inherit them. The children learning about nature today, the communities living alongside these forests, and the local organisations working every day to protect them.

Organisations can provide resources, expertise and support. But the future of a forest is ultimately shaped by the people who know it, value it and call it home.

These photographs were taken in Outamba-Kilimi National Park, one of the areas where we help support nature education through our partnership with Tacugama. Photo credit: wildlife photographer Renato Granieri .

Our goal is to help bring nature education to even more communities living alongside important wildlife habitats and protected areas. If you would like to support that work, please consider making donation.
🔗 https://go-ape.nl/doneer/

Thank you 🌳💚

In the chimpanzee world, youngsters learn by watching.

What to eat. Where to go. Who to trust.

No pressure, grown-ups. 😅

Happy Father’s Day! 💚

Army ants are small, aggressive and painful to handle. Yet for chimpanzees living in the savannas of Senegal, they are worth the effort 🐜🐜🐜

A new study by researchers from the University of Barcelona, the Jane Goodall Institute Spain, and international collaborators has revealed more about how savanna chimpanzees in Senegal harvest army ants.

Army ants are a valuable source of protein, but collecting them is not without risk. Their bites are painful, and extracting them requires skill.

The researchers observed chimpanzees carefully selecting specific plant species, stripping away bark, fraying the ends of stems and then using these modified tools to collect ants from their nests.
One of the preferred plant species even contains compounds known for their calming properties, raising interesting questions about how chimpanzees choose the materials they work with 🪾

What makes these findings particularly fascinating is that the chimpanzees live in a challenging savanna habitat. Alongside humans, they are the only great apes that have adapted to life in both forests and savannas.

🔗 read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-42278-5

In juli verschijnt weer een nieuwe editie van onze nieuwsbrief. 🐵🌿

Slechts vier keer per jaar sturen we een update. Geen volle mailbox, maar een inkijkje in de projecten, mensen en chimpansees die we dankzij onze partners en supporters mogen ondersteunen.

Go Ape Foundation is een kleine stichting, maar samen met inspirerende organisaties en betrokken mensen kunnen we toch een verschil maken. Van natuureducatie in Sierra Leone en Kameroen tot de zorg voor geredde chimpansees en ondersteuning van rangers in het veld.

Benieuwd naar de verhalen achter ons werk? Schrijf je in en reis ieder kwartaal met ons mee het veld in🌱

📩 Aanmelden via de link in de BIO op IG of ga naar: https://go-ape.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=27f210d6eb1b128b1232e956d&id=34a89ab2a1

A year ago, artist Theo Zwinderman and I started a special collaboration to support Tacugama through his artwork of rescued chimpanzees.

Recently, we had the pleasure of talking about this project, Tacugama, and the inspiring stories behind the sanctuary on the Animal Heroes Hall of Fame podcast.

Many thanks to Anna Roy for the invitation and to Theo Zwinderman for using his talent to help chimpanzees.

🎧 Listen here:
https://www.animalheroeshalloffame.com/orangeroom/episode/9d20fb6f/vip-guests-rowena-facee-schaeffer-theo-zwinderman

Anna Roy welcomes the first VIP Guests to our 'Orange Room' and chats with Rowena Facee Schaeffer & Theo Zwinderman about the Go Ape Foundation, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and their joint online art exhibition of Theo’s work in support of the sanctuary. Learn all about how chimps are rehabilitated, Jane Goodall’s role in setting up Tacugama and Theo’s connection to these incredible creatures.

https://www.tacugama.com/
https://www.goapefoundation.com/
https://www.theozwinderman.nl/
https://www.animalheroeshalloffame.com/charityshowcase

The full Nat Geo documentary about Tacugama is finally back on YouTube!

In 2017, I watched this film and something clicked. It inspired me to travel to Sierra Leone and find my way to Tacugama.

What I thought would be a journey turned into something much bigger. The forests, the chimpanzees, and the people dedicating their lives to conservation stayed with me long after I returned home.

In fact, I never really left.
That trip became the beginning of a much longer journey, one that eventually grew into Go Ape Foundation and my ongoing commitment to chimpanzee conservation and nature education.

Funny how a single documentary can change the direction of your life.

If you've never seen it, I highly recommend watching it. It might just inspire you too.

Saving Baby Chimps (Full Episode) | DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL | Nat Geo Animals Follow the forgotten baby chimps of Sierra Leone, West Africa, as t...

Trying to look emotionally available on Monday.

Rescued orphan at