In the heart of Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe, is the
Lilongwe Wildlife Center, Malawi’s only wildlife sanctuary.
Malawi is one of the poorest and most densely populated
countries in Africa. Unfortunately, this means that many of Malawi’s wild animals
are slaughtered for bush meat or sold into the pet trade. In 2007, the Lilongwe
Wildlife Center opened, with a goal to rescue animals from this fate and to
educate the local population on conservation. Last year more than 12,000 school
children visited the Center to participate in animal and conservation-themed
educational programs.
Today, there are nearly 200 residents of the center: big
cats, birds, reptiles, primates, and other natives of Malawi. Some were found
for sale in local markets, some were brought in after car accidents, others
were donated from local families who could no longer care for the family “pet.”
In 2011 alone, 56 orphaned and injured animals were taken in at the Center.
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| Porcupines look so bizarre! |
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| Can you spot Henry inside the tire? |
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| Vervet Monkey |
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| Blue Monkey |
Kambuku, the leopard, broke his knee in a poacher’s snare.
He lived for 10 years in a zoo in Malawi and, in 2007, when the Center opened,
he moved here. Due to his leg injury, he can never be released, but he now
lives in a 26,000 square foot enclosure.
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| Difficult to “spot” in his outdoor enclosure. |
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| Kambuku in his indoor space. |
Churley is a serval cat that was rescued from the illegal
pet trade as a baby.
When he came to the Center he was suffering from poor
nutrition. . .today he is a happy, healthy kitty.
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| Bella lost one eye due to untreated glaucoma |
Caring for all of these animals is no small task. Each week,
the animals eat over 2 tons of fruits and vegetables, 33 pounds of beef, and
more than 70 chickens. While the Center employs a skilled and dedicated
full-time staff, a host of volunteers round out the team, preparing food,
cleaning and providing enrichment to the animals.
The hope for all animals brought into the center is to rehabilitate
them and rerelease them into the wild here in Malawi. Fortunately, many animals
had their injuries treated and were immediately released. Others went through a
successful rehabilitation process before their release. While this isn’t always
possible due to injuries or behavioral issues, the Center is currently
preparing for the release of a troop of baboons scheduled for November 2012.
Since Lilongwe Wildlife Center began, many baboons have come
to the center. In order to prepare them for eventual release, the baboons are
gradually introduced to each other. Over time, these baboons, from different locations,
form a troop similar to wild troops. New baboons are then gradually integrated
into one of the existing troops.
One of these troops, with 30 individuals, was deemed ready
for release and this group began a lengthy pre-release process. While
volunteering at the Center, I was lucky to have the opportunity to assist with behavioral
research on these pre-release baboons.
First, a large area on the property (far from the area open
to the public) was selected for the group. A fence was built around the area, lush
with indigenous woodland, to create an enclosure for the troop that best
simulates the Malawian wilderness.
Prior to their release, the Center is studying the baboons’ behavior:
their interactions, eating habits, mating habits, etc.
These findings will be compared with baboons in the wild to
confirm that they will be able to successfully transition to life without human
intervention. Additionally, after their release, the behavioral studies will
continue to see how the troop adapts to freedom.
The goal is to ensure that the pre-release baboons are no
longer accustomed to people. Therefore, in order to have people observing the
troop for hours every day, a bamboo fence was built around the enclosure and observation
holes were cut at regular intervals.
My job was to spend around 7 hours each day observing the
baboons. In 20 minute intervals, I would record the behavior they were
exhibiting and the animals with which they were interacting. A quiet, solitary
job, but I loved it!
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| Form to record individual animal behaviors. |
Of course, observing animals from behind a fence isn’t easy.
The enclosure is sizable – it’s not possible to see from one side to the other
through the foliage. Naturally, as soon as I begin to observe, these guys love
to run merrily off into the trees! I spent a great deal of time walking in
circles around the enclosure looking for the individual I was observing. It’s
not an easy job!
Spending hundreds of hours getting to know these animals was
magical. It was great fun to get to know each of their personalities. It was
fascinating to watch who spent time with who, to watch the males fighting over
the females, and to watch the little ones, with never ending energy, annoying
the adults – it reminded me of an afternoon people watching in a park!
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| Wingnut (although I called him "Nutter Butter") – one of my favorites! |
Each of these monkeys is a success story. The alpha male,
Buddy, was found in 2009 tied to a tree in a small village in Malawi where he
was to be dinner for a family. Lucky, another male in the troop, was found for
sale in a market. He was tied to a rope that hadn’t been loosened since he was
very small and was embedded into his body. Fortunately, Lucky made a full
recovery. And while 30 baboons were originally selected for release, there are now
31 baboons heading into the wild in November. . .one of the females gave birth
in the pre-release enclosure. This new baby was named “Freedom” since he will never
know life in a cage.
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| Freedom riding on his mother, Mackenzie’s back |
In just a few months, Buddy, Lucky, and 29 other baboons
will be living free in a reserve in Malawi and I couldn’t be more proud to have
had some small part in making that happen!
If
you'd like more information on the Lilongwe Wildlife Center or would like to make
a donation to the Center, please visit their website: http://www.lilongwewildlife.org.
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