In the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, apes leap from branch to branch as mother gorillas carry their babies on their backs on their way through the lush reserve of the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Centre (CRPL), just 45 km west of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, and not far from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Established in 2002 by the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN, a government agency) and the Research Centre for the Natural Sciences (CRSN), this centre takes in, among others, chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and other small monkeys that have been orphaned or rescued from poaching in this region, which is plagued by insecurity caused by the activities of dozens of armed groups. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES