Light in the Jungle with Rachel Hogan of Ape Action Africa

Meditation Without Borders – Being the Change Podcast

It’s no secret that our lack of awareness as a society is doing great harm to the planet as well as all of its creatures. In this episode, we are thrilled to speak with one of those who are holding back the tide of destruction, Rachel Hogan, director of Ape Action Africa. Rachel has devoted the last 20 years to primate conservation in Cameroon and is well known for her work in the rescue and rehabilitation of gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as fighting the illegal bush meat trade in West Africa.

We are honored to hear first-hand about how Rachel started in this field (her three month trip turned into two decades!) and all about her work to raise the awareness of the local people in order to protect these majestic residents of the African jungles. She is also a daily meditator, and shares about how her practice has helped her manage such a demanding role.

Listening to her story, and all about how intelligent and aware the primates are she works with, we are humbled by the beauty of these animals as well as the efforts made to save them.

Click here if you would like to learn more about Ape Action Africa, donate to their cause or if you would like to "Adopt an Ape"

Show Notes:

5.30 Pushing back on low consciousness.
7.36 Concentrating on the women of the community
8.28 New Generations are the ones spreading the message
14.07 “When I look back then, it really just feels it was all a learning process… When I look
back when I was 25, 26 and I would be dealing with these issues at the time it was like ´oh
gosh, how do we get past these issues´, and it was the worst thing ever. And then looking
back now, and especially since I´ve started meditation as well, I can really see the reason
behind those challenges and how that helped move the project forward. And how we all
developed.” Rachel
17.30 Benefits of meditation for Rachel
23.30 Rachel´s Journey
26.39 “It really does feel like the path was already set. And it´s home now. It feels like I’m
where I’m meant to be and where I want to be. And I make that choice every day, I make
that conscious choice. I am here today.” Rachel
28.00 Consciousness of the apes themselves
29.00 The peacemaker
30.50 Awareness of others and themselves
32.30 Gorillas are the big thinkers, big meditators
33.00 Chimps wear their hearts in their sleeves
34.21 “Even now, even after 21 years, they´ll do something that will completely blow my
mind. And just when they look at you, you can just see, you can just feel it, it´s incredible it
really is. They´re like us, but with a lot more hair.” Rachel
35.46 They are all different, with their own unique soul.
36.00 Personalities and introductions
40.00 “There are times when there will be a little bit of doubt, a little bit of
discouragement but it’s just not enough to stop. It’s not a phenomenon, it’s not on the list.
We are doing something here; we need to keep moving forward and that’s what we do. It’s
about whether you want to be part of the solution or part of the problem. And I think
that’s how we all feel in the Ape Action Africa team.” Rachel
42.00 Working with the government
44.40 Releasing apes back into the wild
45.12 “One of the best feelings ever is when you see a chimp back with other chimps, or a
gorilla with other gorillas. And the family that they lost; they have a new family. It really is
incredible. It shouldn´t be us looking after them. They should be with their own kind.”
Rachel
50.20 The future of Ape Action Africa –forest and wildlife protection.
51.00 Deforestation and the effects
52.15 How to help Ape Action Africa