PASA COLORING BOOK TO AID SANCTUARY EDUCATORS IN AFRICA
A
children’s coloring book that tells the story of the capture, rescue
and rehabilitation of an infant chimpanzee in an African sanctuary is
now being distributed by the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) for
use in its conservation education programs.
“The
Story of a Baby Chimpanzee” was written and edited by PASA educators in
Uganda, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and the United States, and illustrated
by American artist Pearl Ollie. The text is in both English and French,
and includes fact sheets on chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos.
The
30-page coloring book was made possible through the technical,
logistical and financial support of the Brevard Zoo, the International
Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the Columbus Zoo, and the Twycross Zoo.
Graphic designer Jerry Hanzl of Digital Art by Jerry in the U.S.
provided the layout.
“PASA is
extremely proud of this collaborative effort,” said Doug Cress,
executive director of PASA. “As often happens, the lack of education
materials that specifically address the issues of bushmeat or
conservation or ecology from a sanctuary point of view required us to
create out own. This coloring book will be a valuable tool as PASA
educators seek to engage an even wider audience.”
PASA
member sanctuaries currently receive almost 400,000 visitors per year,
and PASA education programs are targeted primarily at rural schools,
communities and towns. Studies have shown that PASA education programs
are effective at changing local attitues regarding hunting and
conservation.
All 18 PASA sanctuaries in 12 African countries will receive shipments of the coloring book to distribute.
“The
Story of a Baby Chimpanzee” follows an infant as her family is killed
by hunters in the forest, and she is captured for sale in a city. When
a child notices the chimpanzee and remembers that her teacher had
stressed the importance of protecting animals, she alerts the police.
The police arrest the man trying to sell the chimpanzee, and take the
confiscated chimpanzee to a PASA sanctuary.
Over time, the chimpanzee regains its health, and learns to bond with other orphans in the sanctuary.
PASA
was formed in 2000 to unite the sanctuaries that care for chimpanzees,
gorillas, bonobos, drills and literally thousands of other endangered
primates across Africa. For more information, please visit www.pasaprimates.org or contact PASAapes@aol.com. |
