Jenny and Jimmy Desmond run a home for rescued baby chimps in West Africa, Liberia to be more exact.

They are the founders of Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection (LCRP) in West Africa and its affiliate 501c3 in the United States, Partners in Animal Protection and Conservation (PAPC).

And they work with their team to improve the lives of chimpanzees in the wild and those who have come to them as orphans, in Liberia.

They started out with a couple of baby, orphaned chimps who had been brought to them as orphans.  They now have 21 chimps. 

The Desmond’s dream was to move all the chimps to a new sanctuary in the forest.  And they have a site for which they have bought a 25 year lease - their Hundred Acre Wood!

But before the chimps move, they need to learn all the skills they need to survive.

Enter chimp expert Professor Ben Gerrod is looking to teach the chimps the skills they need (that their mothers would have taught them, had they not been killed for bushmeat) to survive in the wild.

Recognising danger is a key skill – danger such as deadly snakes – and they also need to know how to make an alarm call to tell other chimps that there’s danger about.  They need to be able to climb.

Chimpanzees are critically endangered – they are kept as pets in Liberia which is officially illegal but most people aren’t aware of the law.   The sanctuary rescues chimpanzees that are being kept as pets.

One of the amazing things to see is the way the dogs such as Princess (who have been rescued as well) and chimps get on together. 

More information

This is a three part series on BBC2, starting on 9 January 2020 at 8pm.  Find out more about the porgramme here

Visit Liberia Chimpanzee Rescu's website

Support the Rescue by Adopting a Chimp or simply Making a Donation.  

These chimps need help and Jenny and Jimmy are the only ones who are providing it. They need funds to cater for the ever growing number of chimpanzees arriving with them.  They need more staff to look after the chimps. 

You can make a donation here