The JGI SA Chimpanzee Eden is within the 1000 hectare Umhloti Nature Reserve, and is a home to chimpanzees that have been misplaced from their natural habitats in Central Africa. The world renowned Jane Goodall Institute has made this tranquil venue their South African sanctuary and is committed to the rescue and care of chimpanzees in need of refuge. Being the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa, this brings the world of chimpanzees closer to humanity through education and tourism. Entering the reserve, a mere 15 km from the bustling city of Nelspruit, visitors are captivated by the beautiful bush surroundings with plains game species free roaming. The reserve is located in a low risk malaria area
The goal of the JGI SA Sanctuary is to rescue some of the chimpanzees that have survived the bush meat trade; others have been orphaned and are traded in the illegal pet trade to zoos, circuses and medical research facilities. These chimps are the lucky ones, living out their lives in a risk free environment and provided with the necessary attention to recover from the trauma that they have experienced.
Visitors have a unique opportunity to see chimpanzees in semi-wild surroundings that are close to their natural habitat. The chimps now show normal social interaction and behavioral patterns. The enclosures also have viewpoints overlooking the forest and ‘foraging areas’ These areas provide the chimps with endless hours of fun and are essential for keeping boredom at bay, they also help to positively reinforce natural behaviour. Chimps, like other great apes such as gorillas and orangutans, are a constant source of interest and amusement to the general public. Viewing platforms provide visitors with a great opportunity to view at our closest relatives!
The Jane Goodall Institute South Africa
First of all a big thank you for the main goal of the institute for taking care of the chimps taken from entertainment or any kind of abuse by such horrible humans! We found the chimps environment very clean as well as the toilet,the reception area and patio. Obviously we could perceive all efforts and years of study and dedication of Jane Goodhall! Our guides Martin was friendly and prepared and we strongly recommend this tour and visit of Chimps Eden near Neilspruit ZA to watch how similar we are compared to chimpanzee from which we can certainly say that we descend from... Thanks you for hosting us and for giving us the opportunity to learn more about chimps! - Daniela
Visiting Jane Goodall's Chimpanzee Eden was a truly fascinating experience. It's was very exciting and rewarding to see the chimpanzees interacting with us and themselves and to learn more about them. It was almost magic. We also had an excellent guide which made the experience even more special. The park. is furthermore very well maintained. When visiting Mbombela / Nelspruit Chimpanzee Eden is not to be missed - Martin
The tour was an amazing experience! The guide was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humour and answered all our questions. I actually felt like I knew the individual chimps! I would recommend the tour Thank you for the amazing work you do! - Burnidene
Fantastic experience enhanced by the explaination of our guide - Vander
We had an amazing tour of Chimpanzee Eden with the very knowledgeable and friendly Pat introducing the chimps to us. Their stories are heartbreaking and so it's truly wonderful to see them safe and living such great lives. Their habitats are brilliant and they all get to exhibit normal behaviours, although some have learned behaviours from humans in their past. My daughter and I decided to sponsor Jessica and Sampa, they are two very clever ladies! It felt a privilege to get to know them and spend some time just watching them. Highly recommend a visit! - Jeanette
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