The New Primate Nursery

This is where the most vulnerable rescues take their first breath of stability.

This is where the youngest rescues begin their recovery.

When infant primates arrive at Ape Action Africa in Cameroon, they are often in a fragile condition. Many have been taken from their mothers through the illegal wildlife trade. Some arrive weak, underfed, or dehydrated. Others are frightened, withdrawn, or struggling to cope with what they have already been through.

The nursery exists for those first days and weeks, when everything is delicate and small changes matter.

The new nursery was built because the work has changed. More infant chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys are arriving in need of intensive care, and we needed a space that could properly support them during this early stage.

Inside the nursery, care is constant. Infants are fed regularly, day and night. Temperatures are checked and adjusted. Behaviour, strength, and appetite are watched closely. Caregivers notice the small things, when an infant is quieter than usual, feeding more slowly, or not moving as they normally would. This kind of care takes time, experience, and patience.

What happens in these early weeks affects everything that comes later. How an infant grows, how well they cope with illness, how they behave, and how they manage around other primates in the future are all shaped here. Getting this stage right matters.

This nursery exists because of the people behind it. The caregivers who work through the night, the veterinary team, and the supporters who make long term care possible. It is a shared effort, built around giving rescued infants the best possible chance.

The new nursery strengthens Ape Action Africa’s ability to respond when an infant needs help immediately. It gives the team the space to do the work properly, and it gives the youngest primates a real chance to survive and recover.

It is a quiet place. But for many of the primates who pass through it, this is where survival turns into a future.

Built by the team on the ground, made possible by those who support the work.