Where we are 

      Officially called the Projet Gorille Fernan-Vaz (PGFV) as of November  2006, this project was initiated in the year 2001 when a family of orphaned gorillas was transferred from the Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF) to the island of Evengué-Ezango in the Fernan-Vaz lagoon.   

    The island of Evengue-Ezango is located just 12 kilometers south of the town of Omboué and north of Loango national park.      

    The Rehabilitation Centre was initiated at the end of 2006.  In July 2009, the Rehabilitation Centre gorillas were translocated onto the island of Oriquet (about 10 minutes away from Evengue-Ezango island).  Since July 2009, the PGFV base camp is located on mainland (called Mpando) just 300 meters across Oriquet Island.  

Mission Statement

       To apply a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach toward curbing the bushmeat and great-ape pet trades that are both, along with the unsustainable exploitation of tropical forests and emerging diseases, threatening the survival of Gabon's wild great-ape populations through: 

1. The rescue and care of orphaned western lowland gorillas; 

2. Environmental awareness campaigns and educational tourist visits; 

3. Sustainable development efforts and community outreach;  

4. Conservation-minded research;  

5. Advocacy and law enforcement.  

 

Specific Objectives

  • Provide high standards of care and well-being for gorilla orphans who have been victims of the bushmeat trade; 
  • Rehabilitate, and potentially reintroduce, a group of gorilla orphans in reference to international reintroduction guidelines;
  • Provide on-going training to local staff specific to gorilla husbandry and great ape conservation;
  • Develop a database on various parameters observed from gorilla orphans in semi-captivity or being rehabilitated in the forest;
  • Conduct responsible tourism within our Sanctuary based on the most updated policies regarding non-invasive gorilla viewing;
  • Develop and conduct local awareness and education campaigns;  
  • Collaborate with local and national wildlife authorities on the application of laws that protect great-apes; 
  • Maintain and develop a global network with other great-ape conservation organisations; 

 

 For more information about the project, contact us at fvgp@scd-conservation.com


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                   © Micheal Viljoen




                   © Micheal Viljoen