Eugene Cussons

In a January 1, 2013, press release, Cussons announced he was resigning as Manager Director of Chimpanzee Eden and that all the responsibilities will be transferred to the JGI South Africa. The Cussons family will continue to provide the essential support services to the sanctuary and the Umhloti Nature Reserve would remain under the guardianship of the Cussons family.

In July 2011, Cussons published his book Saving Chimpanzees. In the book, Cussons describes some of the ventures he had saving chimpanzees. In January 2013, the second edition of the book was released with an extra chapter where he describes the terrifying incident at Chimp Eden in June 2012, an attack of two chimps on a researcher. Cussons provides insight and describes the events, reasons and consequences of the attack on the student.

Cussons opened Chimp Eden in 2006 in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in South Africa, as the Managing Director of Chimp Eden and the Rescue Director of JGI South Africa. Cussons has focused Chimp Eden's efforts on rescuing chimpanzees from areas no one else is willing to venture, such as war-torn countries like Sudan and Angola. Personally rescuing the chimpanzees, Cussons brings them back to Chimp Eden, where he is caretaker.

Eugene Cussons (born July 6, 1979) was the Managing Director of "Chimpanzee Eden" as well as Rescue Director of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in South Africa. He is also the host of Animal Planet's Escape to Chimp Eden, author of the book Saving Chimpanzees and is the Executive Director and Ambassador of the "Generation Now" movement.