Finally, after three long months of sorting out the paperwork, we now have a date to transport Africa to our sanctuary in Spain. Our primate rescue team including TV vet Dr. Scott Miller will be leaving next Wednesday May 27th to travel to Gran Canaria and bring Africa to her new home. Dr. Scott Miller told us “I am very happy to be involved in this rescue and if everything goes to plan Africa should be arrive at the sanctuary on the evening of Thursday May 28th".

We would like to thank everyone who has helped us raise funds to cover the costs of the construction of the new indoor facility for Africa, her transport and her on-going veterinary care. It costs around £15 per day to feed each chimp at the sanctuary. If you would like to sponsor Africa please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further details.

The Mona Foundation was set up to end the exploitation of primates in captivity. The foundation has established a sanctuary near Girona in Spain, which provides a home where rescued chimpanzees and other primates can live in a natural environment and where people can be inspired to understand and respect wild animals.

• Why a chimp sanctuary in Spain?

• The origins of the Mona Foundation

• Who supports the Mona Foundation?

• Activities and achievements

• How we care for primates at the Mona Foundation

Volunteering

The Mona Foundation depends heavily on volunteer helpers to continue its work. Volunteers are responsible for many of the tasks involved in the day-to-day care of chimpanzees at our sanctuary. They usually stay for a period of six months and live at the centre. Other helpers who live locally give a day or more of their time each week to undertake tasks such as publicity, school visits, fundraising and maintenance.

Long-term volunteers

Primate Research

As the day-to-day work of caring for Mona’s primates continues, a group of scientists and students are making time to study their every movement. Mona’s Investigation Department consists of a team of vets, biologists, anthropologists, and archaeologists who are trying to understand as much as possible about how the primates adapt to life at the rescue centre.

One of the most important aspects of their work is to evaluate the potential for rehabilitation and re-socialisation of each primate that arrives at Mona. As Olga Feliu explains, “all the animals we rescue have suffered some form of deprivation before they got here. Toto, a 46 year-old male, had spent the past three years alone in Frankfurt zoo and had become depressed and lifeless.