Sweetwater Chimpanzee sanctuary
Sweetwater Chimpanzee sanctuary is one of the wonderful destinations that is known as the refuge for the chimpanzees. The Sweetwater is found within the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which is found within the Nanyuki, and it is the only place where you can find the unique and intelligent chimpanzees, meaning that tourists can easily see them in the sanctuary. The Sweetwater’s Chimpanzees were opened in 1993 to offer the chimpanzees, which have disadvantages, especially those from central Africa and western Africa. Three orphans from Burundi were the first to arrive at the refuge. Due to civil strife, they were forced to flee. Nine adults were awarded sanctuary in 1995 and ten in 1996.
At the moment, there are 43 chimps in the sanctuary, and the available chimps are divided into two groups separated by the Ewaso Nyiro River. The natural home of the chimpanzees stretches from Senegal on the West African coast to Uganda, in Africa’s middle wooded region. They are not native to Kenya, but in 1993, when a Burundi rescue center had to close owing to the start of a civil conflict, Ol Pejeta stepped in.
Most of the chimpanzees have been taken from confined and unnatural living situations, and many have suffered horrendous injuries as a result of human mistreatment. They get a chance to start over at Sweetwater’s.
The intelligent sweet-water chimpanzees
The most dangerous and vulnerable chimpanzees brought are first nursed, treated by the full-time veterinary officers, and then released into the forest. They are later treated to make sure that they are naturally treated and reintroduced into the forest, which is so much fun.
Once the chimpanzees are ready, they are placed in one of the sanctuary’s two main groups, which are divided by the Ewaso Nyiro River and reside in wide natural enclosures. The chimps have fixed meal times and return to their indoor enclosures at night, but otherwise they spend their days exploring, climbing, socializing, and relearning how to be chimps. Sweetwater’s is a founding member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, a group of eighteen sanctuaries in twelve African nations that care for approximately 800 orphaned and/or stolen chimps. PASA’s mission is to help save chimps and other primates, as well as their habitats, through educating the public and advocating for legislative support.
Yes, chimpanzees are similar to human beings, but little is known about their intelligent features. Chimpanzees are frequently confused with monkeys. Chimpanzees, like gorillas, bonobos, and orangutans, are large apes. Here are some facts about our closest surviving relatives in the animal kingdom that you probably didn’t know.
But what is certainly true is that chimpanzees are of genetic origin, and in terms, chimps are our closest cousins in the animal kingdom. They share between 95 and 98 percent of our DNA. They, like us, use technology to achieve their goals, share laughs, and form social groups. Despite the fact that we’ve been studying them for decades, we’re always discovering new things about them, just as we’re learning new things about ourselves, and this means there are a lot of features that we need to be very interesting, which means there are a lot of features that we don’t need to be very interesting.
On the IUCN list, chimpanzees are classified as endangered animals and are on the “red list.” It is believed that there were more than a million chimps in the wild at the turn of the twentieth century. There are now fewer than 300,000 people living there. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, commercial bush meat hunting, and illicit wildlife trafficking are all contributing to their dwindling numbers.
How to access the Sweetwater Chimpanzee sanctuary
The Sweetwater chimpanzee sanctuary in Kenya can be accessed by both air and road transport. Through road transport, Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary is roughly a 3-hour drive from Nairobi. The drive from Nairobi to Nanyuki is paved, but the final 13 kilometers to Sweetwater’s Chimpanzee Sanctuary are dirt roads. It is recommended to use the road through Nyahururu and Nyeri to approach Sweetwater’s Chimpanzee Sanctuary through Nanyuki from Nakuru/Nivasha. Sweetwater’s Chimpanzee Sanctuary is indicated on the left, around 6.5 kilometers beyond Nanyuki airfield, and it is signposted all the way to Rongai Gate. In the rainy season, you will need to drive with 4×4 cars to avoid inconveniences.
Air transport: From Nairobi Wilson Airport, there are available scheduled flights that visitors can board from Nairobi Wilson Airport to Nanyuki airstrip, and from here, you will board one of the safari vehicles and drive for about 45 minutes to reach Sweetwater’s Chimpanzee Sanctuary. You don’t need to miss it, but come and join us at Africa Adventure Vacations as we travel Kenya together.
