Meet the Chimpanzees

In a pocket of rain forest in the western highlands of Rwanda lives a small group of East African chimpanzees. They are the great apes of the Gishwati Forest. Just several years ago, they only numbered 13 - an isolated population teetering on the brink of extinction. Today, through the efforts of the Rwandan government and the Gishwati Area Conservation Program, those numbers have grown to 19, an increase of 46 percent. The progress of this effort is inspirational and instructive becomes it goes beyond Rwanda. Solutions that work in a desperate situation like Gishwati are likely to be effective for other endangered great apes. Thanks to the chimpanzees and the dedicated women and men who study and watch over them, Gishwati now serves as a test bed for new conservation approaches and ideas by transforming a place "beyond hope" to a "Forest of Hope."