Chimpanzee feeding

After spending the morning at the chimpanzee orphanage, we moved to the free-range enclosures to observe the morning feeding. The two 500-acre enclosures house chimpanzees that have been rehabilitated at the orphanage but cannot be released into the wild for fear of poaching or killing for bushmeat. They live independently in the enormous enclosures, but come to a small building to be fed each day. Twice a day they receive balls nshima (a cornmeal that's the staple food in much of southern Africa), sugar cane, cabbage, oranges, lemons, bananas, sweet potatoes and any other fruits or vegetables the orphanage can purchase from local farmers.

Right at eleven-thirty, the chimps gather outside the building, waiting to be let in for their food. They are then separated into different rooms of the building, to ensure that all of them (not only the strongest members of the family) receive full meals.

Though the pictures look quite sad, please remember that the chimps only stay in these cages for a couple hours while they eat. Then they a released back into the enormous enclosures to live freely in the open.