Malawi Update: Muli Bwanji!
Rescued vervet monkey orphan
It has been such a great experience to see the amazing work that the Born Free Foundation is doing here, understand some of the real issues they are having to deal with on a daily basis, how they have importantly already started to educate the local population on the importance of protecting animals (and not trading them) and the real progress that has been made through the local team’s hard work, skill and commitment.
Muli Bwanji! We’ve had an amazing day! We spent the morning volunteering at the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, helping clean cages, watch the vet doing Vervet monkey health checks (TB tests, vaccinations, dental checks) and micro chipping them. Slightly alarming to see that the alpha males (the troop leaders) have red and bright blue bits (you know what I mean), and even more fascinated to learn that this is purely to do with male hierarchy in the troop. So, when one leader dies, one of the beta males becomes bigger and bluer within a few days, which identifies him as the new alpha male (usually after some kind of battle). Rescued from the local roadside pet trade, we also saw an adorable baby Vervet that which they are keeping in an enclosure with one of the troop mothers to bond, and soon integrate with the rest of the troop in the habitat. Yesterday we saw a lioness, Bella, who had been rescued from a neglected zoo in Romania where she lived in a tiny concrete cage and malnourishment resulted in hip and hind leg deformities (not unsimilar to Ricketts) – now she roams very happily and freely in an acre or so of indigenous habitat, and she just loves the company of visitors. It has been such a great experience to see the amazing work that the Born Free Foundation is doing here, understand some of the real issues they are having to deal with on a daily basis, how they have importantly already started to educate the local population on the importance of protecting animals (and not trading them) and the real progress that has been made through the local team’s hard work, skill and commitment.
