2022-12-31-accounts - Ape Action Africa

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Annual Report and Accounts

Year ended 31[st] December 2022

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

Report and Accounts

Charity information

Principal office address: Guthrie Road Clifton Bristol BS8 3HA Trustees: Mr I Bickerstaff Ms V Luke Ms C McLaney Treasurer Dr S Redrobe Chair Bankers: Triodos Bank Deanery Road Bristol Barclays Bank West Kirby Wirral Merseyside SCB Cameroun SA Siege Social Avenue Monseigneur Vogt BP 700 Yaoundé Cameroon

Registered charity number: 1057061

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

Trustees’ report

1. Introduction

The Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund was established under its constitution on 17[th] July 1996 as a registered charity and changed its name to Ape Action Africa in 2009. The registered charity number is 1057061.

2. Objects

The objects of the charity are to:

a) Relieve the suffering of non-human primates in Cameroon who are in need of care and attention and in particular to provide and maintain a primate rescue centre, hospital and other facilities for the care and treatment of such sick or ill treated animals.
b) To advance the education of the public into the conservation, care and treatment of such animals.

3. Officers and trustees

The Trustees are:

Mr Ian Bickerstaff Appointed 24 January 2023 Professor Sandra Corr Resigned 7 October 2022 Ms Victoria Luke Dr Gráinne McCabe Resigned 1 February 2023 Ms Caroline McLaney Treasurer Dr Sharon Redrobe Chair

Dr Jane Goodall is the president of the charity.

Eran Moas has accepted the honorary role of President from October 2023 and we welcome his ongoing support as a key member of the Cameroonian community and with government liaison.

We have sadly accepted the resignations of Professor Sandra Corr and Dr Grainne McCabe. Sandra has provided us with invaluable veterinary skills over many years and we are pleased that she is still committed to helping us with vet issues and advice. Grainne’s conservation expertise has been a valuable addition to the board and we wish her all the very best with the next adventure in her life in Canada.

We are pleased to have appointed Mr Ian Bickerstaff to the board. Ian volunteered for us in 2007 for what was initially a 3 month placement but he stayed for 18 months! He has been a frequent visitor to our forest site since then and has therefore acquired an in-depth knowledge of the project. He is a talented freelance photographer and his prior experience in the IT industry is proving to be invaluable to the charity.

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

4. Review of Activities in Cameroon

Overview

Despite the numerous challenges we faced in 2022, the efforts of our dedicated team ensured that we had another fruitful year. We have successfully continued to care for all our primates, carried out routine and emergency veterinary procedures and completed routine repairs and maintenance as well as some pre-planned construction projects.

Continued impact of Covid19

We were finally able to open the park and welcome visitors in October 2021, but the number of visitors, especially foreign visitors, has not returned to pre-covid levels. Visitors are still required to book beforehand, although some visitors are accepted ad-hoc if there is space in a tour group. For the safety of the animals and the staff, visitors are still required to wear face masks when visiting the park.

The volunteer programme was still closed in 2022 but after an extensive closure of more than two and a half years, we have been able to reopen the volunteer programme in 2023. The volunteer programme has undergone a complete overhaul and is designed to address the current and future needs of the charity while also providing volunteers with a memorable experience. The volunteer programme is now much smaller than it was in the past and we only accept two volunteers at a time.

Primate Numbers

As of 31[st] December 2022, we provided sanctuary for 25 gorillas, 117 chimpanzees, and 143 monkeys.

Rescued Primates

During the 12 months to December 2022, a total of four rescues were carried out.

The first rescue was that of a female De Brazza’s monkey of approximately nine months old. She was brought to the sanctuary after a person attempted to sell her.

A young female mandrill was surrendered to us in April 2022. She had been kept as a pet in Yaoundé before being surrendered.

A young female gorilla of approximately 11 months of age and a young male chimpanzee of approximately 10 months of age were brought to the sanctuary in July and August respectively. Both of these individuals were very young when they arrived but adapted well to their new environment. After completing their quarantine period, they were introduced to one another and have since formed a strong relationship. Both are still in the care of their caregivers but spend plenty of time in the forested area.

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

Deaths

We are sad to report that a total of nine deaths occurred in 2022. The deaths were four chimpanzees, two mandrills, one spot-nosed guenon and one agile mangabey.

Integrations and Transfers

A juvenile male mandrill was transferred from Limbe Wildlife Centre to Mefou Primate Sanctuary in June 2022. He was initially introduced to a juvenile female mandrill who had not yet been integrated into a troop. Multiple earlier attempts of integrating the juvenile female with other mandrills had failed as she did not respond well to the other mandrills, probably due to her being kept as a pet for many months before being surrendered to the sanctuary. Being introduced to a much younger mandrill though seems to have settled her and she responded well to the integration. They were both introduced to one of the mandrill troops and we expect that the integration was completed in 2023.

Two juvenile male chimpanzees were successfully integrated with the nursery chimpanzee troop in June 2022. Later in the year, three female juvenile chimpanzees were old enough to be separated from their caregivers and were initially introduced to their forested enclosure. They quickly adapted to their new enclosure and the three have been integrated into the nursery chimpanzee group.

Two De Brazza’s monkeys and one spot-nosed monkey were transferred to the guenon satellite cages after completing their quarantine periods. The female De Brazza’s monkey was successfully integrated with a lone male De Brazza’s monkey. The remaining De Brazza’s and spot-nosed monkeys have been integrated with other monkeys.

With the permission of the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, two female and one male chimpanzee were transferred to Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue (SYCR) in November 2022. After the necessary health checks were performed at Mefou Primate Sanctuary, the individuals were transferred to their new home, where they will eventually be integrated with other troops. According to reports from SYCR, all three chimps are doing very well and have settled into their new environment.

Seven gorillas were transferred to the satellite cages of the new gorilla enclosure (see the construction section below) where their integration is underway. The seven gorillas consisted of two subgroups. The first subgroup was made up of three sub-adult gorillas, one male and two females. The second subgroup consisted of four juvenile gorillas, three males and one female that were transferred from the nursery enclosure.

Releases

A juvenile male chimpanzee was released in July 2022. In March, the chimpanzee was found with his right hand caught in a snare in a forested area near Mfou Town. The chimpanzee was

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

darted and brought to the sanctuary for treatment. Despite the treatment of the wound being slow and difficult, the wound healed well and it was decided that it would be in his best interest to release him. Alongside MINFOF, a snare-removal patrol was carried out in the proposed release area and multiple snares were removed. With the permission of the minister and the assistance of MINFOF, the chimpanzee was released in the same area where he was initially found.

Construction

Communities in the area surrounding the park have long expressed their need for a medical facility that is easily accessible. With funding from a generous donor, we completed the construction of the Centre de sante du parc de la Mefou in 2022 and its doors have been open to receive patients.

the new health centre by Metet

Two new wooden satellite cages were constructed for the baboon troops. The old satellite cages are still in a usable condition, but the additional cages allow us to house the two troops in the satellites at the same time if required, which was not possible before. It also allows us to divide a single troop into smaller groups when they have to enter the satellite cages, which greatly reduces the risk of conflict and possible injury in the satellite cages.

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

new baboon satellite cage

Replacement of the old wooden posts with new metal posts at one of the nursery enclosures was completed during the year. This has greatly increased the longevity of the enclosure.

new metal posts at the nursery enclosure.

Additional security measures have been installed at some of the great ape enclosures. The construction team has designed a new locking mechanism which has been installed at all doors of the great ape satellite cages that give access to the area outside of the enclosure when opened. Two additional security houses have also been built; one at a gorilla enclosure and another at a chimpanzee enclosure.

Due to the deterioration of the foundation of one of the older chimpanzee enclosures, the construction team started replacing the old foundation. The work on this has progressed fairly slowly as only small sections can be replaced at a time and it requires the whole chimpanzee troop to be inside the satellite cages. This work was completed in 2023.

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

section of the new foundation at the chimpanzee enclosure

Construction of the satellite cages of a new forested gorilla enclosure was completed in 2022 after which construction of the enclosure started. Construction of the enclosure progressed well and was finished early in 2023. This enclosure will initially house 7 western lowland gorillas.

New gorilla enclosure: satellite cages and the fence posts

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

The construction team has also been as busy as usual with general repairs and the maintenance of enclosures, satellite cages and buildings across the park.

Education

Thanks to funding kindly provided by Prague Zoo and the City of Prague, we were able to continue our conservation education programme ‘Chimpanzee Champion’ in nineteen schools surrounding Mefou Park and in nearby Mfou. The programme mainly focussed on the Mama P book produced by Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, in association with Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), and we received very positive feedback from all of the participants.

In 2022, our education team reached a total of 596 children, who showed increased awareness of the importance of chimpanzees and other primates, the threats they face in the wild and actions that can be taken to help protect them. In June we introduced sanctuary visits to the education programme and around 80 children were brought to the park to see the primates that they had been learning about. The visits were a huge success among both pupils and school staff.

During the year our educators guided over 4,500 visitors around the sanctuary, helping to raise awareness of primates and their conservation among both Cameroonian and international visitors.

Threats

Deforestation, hunting, the pet trade and habitat destruction are still the biggest threats to primate populations in Cameroon. The hunting and deforestation pressures around the park are increasing. Still, we continue our efforts to fight and reduce their impact in the park and the tampon area in collaboration with MINFOF (Ministère des Forets et de la Faune / Ministry of Forest and Wildlife) and the villages around the park. Snares are frequently found in and around the park and are removed with the assistance of MINFOF. On one occasion, 86 snares were removed in a single morning.

Veterinary department

Our veterinary team has continued to provide excellent healthcare for all our primates. Through preventative programmes, our veterinary team aims to control and minimise the presence of disease among the primates. This is achieved through regular health checks, administering vaccinations when required, analysis of faecal samples for disease causing bacteria and bi-annual deworming.

Other measures that were also performed included the continuation of the water disinfection programme, food washing, disinfection of satellite cages, the use of foot baths when staff travel between different enclosures and the use of face masks. All staff were also dewormed twice during the year.

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

In 2021, two of our male gorillas were diagnosed as obese. We are happy to report that both males have lost weight and are now at an appropriate weight.

We were very fortunate to host the international veterinarian from Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC) for a few days in June 2022. The veterinarian is very skilled in sonography and brought along LWC’s ultrasound machine to assist our veterinary staff at the sanctuary. This allowed us to examine some of our primates from a new perspective, giving us a new and better understanding of some of their ailments.

Volunteering and Internships

After an extensive suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, out international volunteer programme was reopened in 2023. The volunteer programme has undergone a complete overhaul to ensure it addresses the current and future needs of the charity while providing the participants with a memorable experience.

In 2022, we accommodated three local interns. Two of the interns completed internship in the veterinary department while the third completed an internship in the education department.

We also welcomed two new members of staff in 2022. In May the new Deputy Director (Arend van Blerk) and a new international veterinarian (Dr Noemi Lopez Gill) arrived. Dr Noemi has been assisting our head veterinarian with daily veterinary care of the animals at the sanctuary and has also spent a great deal of time training our two local vet nurses, while Arend has been tending to the daily management of the sanctuary.

Plans for 2023

Although our situation remains hugely challenging, we will continue to be ambitious in our efforts and hope to start multiple new projects in the coming year. Completion of the new gorilla enclosure was high on our list at the end of 2022 and we completed construction of the enclosure early in 2023. Despite funding being very challenging to acquire under the current financial climate, we have started the construction of a new high security enclosure in 2023. As an additional safety measure, we also plan to add additional fencing around one of our chimpanzee enclosures.

Acknowledgements

As the year draws to a close, we would like to express our gratitude to MINFOF (Ministry of Forest and Wildlife) for their continued support over the years. We would also like to thank all our private donors, volunteers and long-term supporters, who allow us to continue giving the best care to our primates.

The board of trustees is very aware of the difficult time that 2022 has been for the charity, difficulties that have continued due to pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions that kept our animals and staff safe but led to reduced income compounded by ‘donor fatigue’ further

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

impacting income. We continue to monitor our cash position closely and liaise with our fundraising team.

This period has, and continues to be, a stressful time for everyone and the trustees are extremely grateful to everyone in Cameroon who continues to work so hard. We are also very grateful to our fundraisers who work so hard in their spare time to raise money for the charity. This is a difficult task at the best of times but fundraising during a worldwide pandemic followed by difficult economic conditions worldwide has been particularly challenging.

Despite all the difficulties that have arisen in the last few years, we will continue to ensure that we give all our rescued animals a positive future and the highest standard of care that they deserve.

Signed on behalf of the board Caroline McLaney Trustee 27 October 2023

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Ape Action Africa

I report on the accounts of the Ape Action Africa for the year ended 31 December 2022, which are set out on pages 12 to 16.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with Section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records;
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a "true and fair” view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Laurence Morgan Chartered Accountant ICAEW membership number: 9277845

27 October 2023

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

Statement of Financial Activities

Notes Incoming resources Donations 2 Fees received 2 Fundraising 2 Interest received Total incoming resources Resources expended Animal care 3 Staff costs 3 Infrastructure costs 3 Education programme Community support 3 Administrative expenses 3 Fundraising costs 3 Website hosting Finance charges 3 Total resources expended Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	2022 2021 £ £ £ £ Unrestricted Restricted 349,787 10,773 360,560 354,753 27,968 27,968 9,601 43,353 43,353 9,933 18 18 8
	421,126 10,773 431,899 374,295
	83,584 83,584 73,814 181,582 181,582 150,159 96,947 96,947 69,764 4,752 4,752 1,168 4,910 10,773 15,683 6,974 12,384 12,384 10,803 21,688 21,688 1,080 790 790 2,555 -1,145 -1,145 10,117
	405,492 10,773 416,265 326,434
	15,634 0 15,634 47,861
	97,689 0 97,689 49,828
	113,323 0 113,323 97,689

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

Balance Sheet

Current assets Other debtors and prepayments Cash at bank and in hand Current liabilities Accruals Net assets Charitable funds General fund Restricted fund	2022 £ 39,741 73,582 113,323 0 113,323 113,323 0 113,323	2021 £ 13,807 84,962
		98,769 1,080
		97,689
		97,689 0
		97,689

The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 27 October 2023 and signed on its behalf by:

Dr S Redrobe Chair

C McLaney Treasurer

Ape Action Africa

Year ended 31 December 2022

Notes to the Accounts

1) Accounting policies

a) Basis of preparation

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with:

Charities SORP (FRS 102): the Statement of Recommended Practice – Accounting and Reporting by Charities, applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102);
The Charities Act 2011; and
The historical cost basis of accounting.
b) Recognition of incoming resources

These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:

the charity becomes entitled to the resources;
the trustees are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and
the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliably.
c) Recognition of incoming resources with related expenditure Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income) the incoming resources and related expenditure are reported gross in the SoFA.
d) Volunteer help

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees’ annual report.

e) Foreign currency translation

Transactions denominated in Cameroon francs have been translated to sterling at rate of 680fcfa/£1, being the average rate for the year. Balance sheet items have been translated at the year-end rate of 655fcfa/£1.

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Year ended 31 December 2022

Notes to the Accounts

2 Analysis of incoming resources Donations Adopt an Ape scheme Ape Action Africa Inc – transfer of donations Other donations Fees Mefou Primate Park - Visitor fees Fundraising Merchandise costs and postage Gala dinner, London Online auction 3 Analysis of resources expended Animal care Animal food Vet supplies Staff costs Cameroon salaries CNPS and tax Staff medical fees Uniforms Staff training Staff awards Workers’ food InfrastructureConstruction and repairs Forest supplies Vehicle maintenance	2022 2021 £ £ 3,630 7,900 75,000 200,395 281,930 146,458
	360,560 354,753
	27,968 9,601
	14,951 6,315 27,118 0 1,285 3,618
	43,353 9,933
	70,796 63,265 12,788 10,549
	83,584 73,814
	128,341 105,075 24,484 17,463 2,916 2,874 660 1,246 0 789 147 608 25,034 22,104
	181,582 150,159
	69,959 48,125 3,168 3,667 23,820 17,972
	96,947 69,764

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Year ended 31 December 2022

Notes to the Accounts

3 Analysis of resources, continued Community Community support costs support Children of conservation project Administrative expenses Cameroon office and education supplies Sundry expenses Fundraising expenses Events Merchandise purchased Finance charges Bank and fundraising platform fees Exchange differences arising on translation	2022 2021 £ £ 4,910 1,138 10,773 5,836
	15,683 6,974
	11,565 10,243 820 560
	12,384 10,803
	15,045 0 6,643 1,080
	21,688 1,080
	1,205 1,888 -2,350 8,229
	-1,145 10,117

6 Related party transactions

Victoria Luke received £703.90 to refund the costs she incurred when posting the Ape Action Africa 25[th] anniversary book. None of the other trustees received either remuneration or expenses during the year (2021 – nil).

Ape Action Africa Inc. transferred $100,000; £75,000 to Ape Action Africa (2021 – $315,000; £200,395). The transfers from Ape Action Africa Inc. go directly to Cameroon to fund the charity’s running costs. The trustees of Ape Action Africa are the directors of Ape Action Africa Inc.