Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection (LCRP)

Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection is the country's first and only chimpanzee sanctuary and conservation centre, rescuing orphaned chimpanzees and working to keep wild populations wild.

The illegal bushmeat and pet trades have a brutal logic. Adult chimpanzees are killed for meat, and the infants left behind are sold as pets. LCRP cares for more than a hundred of these orphans, most of them still babies or young children, who have lost their mothers and their families before they were old enough to fend for themselves.

Founded by Jim and Jenny Desmond and endorsed by Jane Goodall, the sanctuary gives each rescued chimpanzee round-the-clock care and the chance to recover in the company of others. Confiscations are carried out alongside Liberia's wildlife authorities, and the team is part of the national Law Enforcement Task Force, helping to apply existing laws, strengthen legislation and build local capacity.