Lilongwe Wildlife Centre – Working to put wildlife back into the wild, where it belongs – Author: John Reid
Lilongwe Wildlife Centre – Working to put wildlife back into the wild, where it belongs
Intro
Situated in the South East of the African continent Malawi is known as ‘The Warm Heart of Africa’. Although this sobriquet may encapsulate the spirit of Malawi and its people, the reality is that Malawi is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa and subsequently one of the poorest countries in the world. The population is ravaged by Aids and the government are economically dependent upon foreign aid to survive. With such serious social and economic problems affecting the people of Malawi it is easy to forget about the country’s rich and extensive wildlife and the need to protect it.
According to the National Statistical Office, Malawi is home to some 12.7 million people, squeezed into a country just 1/8 the size of Zambia, which has a population of a million less. As a result many major environmental issues have arisen in Malawi that require urgent attention. These include severe deforestation, poaching and a devastated fish population in Lake Malawi. In order to resolve these issues for future generations it is important that environmental conservation is viewed alongside social, cultural and economic issues as problems to be solved together. What is evident is that environmental degradation and human related issues are intrinsically linked.
Malawi’s economy is heavily based in agriculture; meaning a large poor, rural population. The direct impact of this is a high degree of negative contact between wildlife and humans. This has resulted in destructive levels of illegal wildlife trading and animal slaughter for bush meat. These activities are a very real problem for the continued survival of Malawi’s wildlife.
In recent years there has been growing international focus on the developing world’s environment, which has meant more attention being given to animal protection and conservation. Unfortunately in Malawi those in the least viable economic positions are forced to find money and food from whatever resources are available; exotic animal sales and hunting seem to be options which the rural population have little choice but to exploit.
A solution to these problems seems to have been found in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe. In a coordinated attempt between charities, NGO’s and Government agencies a facility has been developed which is attempting to integrate wildlife and people through education, employment and awareness. The Lilongwe Wildlife Centre has been created to help Malawi maintain its extensive fauna whilst helping the people escape poverty through conservation and a greater understanding and appreciation of their natural surroundings.
The Start of the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre
For many years the centre of Lilongwe has contained a sanctuary set aside as a nature reserve and natural haven. Principally this area was for the city residents to escape their urban existence and experience the natural aspects their county has to offer. Like many projects of this kind throughout the world, economic rigours took their toll on the sanctuary. The government and the people of Lilongwe could not put the necessary money and time into the area and thus it deteriorated until the sanctuary fell out of use and subsequently the consciousness of the people. It became a dumping ground for waste, a hangout for the more destructive elements of Lilongwe society and was avoided by the general population. Then in 2006 the Malawi National Parks and Wildlife service started discussions with the charity Land and Lake Safaris in an attempt to reclaim the Lilongwe Sanctuary for both the people and the animals. These organisations approached the Born Free Foundation, an independent animal welfare organisation, and a partnership with the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre was formed.
The facility would revitalise the sanctuary by becoming a centre for rehabilitating, re-homing and caring for animals across Malawi. Whilst helping protect Malawi’s animals the centre will promote humanitarian projects in the Lilongwe area. What has been identified in Lilongwe was that environmental deterioration and humanitarian problems were inseparable, with neither problem being dominant. The Lilongwe Wildlife Centre is attempting to combine the care of the country’s injured, orphaned and confiscated wild animals whilst addressing human issues such as health, education and employment.
The Born Free Foundation
In 1964 the actors Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna travelled to Kenya to film the now classic wildlife film ‘Born Free’. Whilst involved in this production of Joy Adamson’s engaging story and surrounded by the natural wonder of the Kenyan tundra a profound realisation occurred in both Bill and Virginia’s ecological views. Their understanding of the natural world changed and so did the direction of their careers. As a result of his experience Bill started to make more and more wildlife films and documentaries, especially concerning Africa. Over the next twenty years the couple became deeply involved in animal conservation and welfare. They watched on as large numbers of animals were taken from their natural habitat and imprisoned in zoos, especially in Europe and North America. This exploitation was epitomised by a young elephant calf, Pole Pole, which had stared in one of Bill’s films. The calf was snatched from the wild and presented to London Zoo by the Kenyan government. In the wild an African Elephant can live over seventy years but trapped in an enclosure in London Pole Pole managed just sixteen. Determined that this waste of life would not be in vain in 1984 Bill, Virginia and their son Will started Zoo Check; the charity which has subsequently become the Born Free Foundation.
Born Free has become a fore runner in animal conservation. This is mainly because of its insightful view that the best way to protect animals is to keep them wild and that the only option then is to create, through education, a harmony between community and wildlife, living together without conflict. The foundation believes firmly that wildlife belongs in the wild and therefore works to phase out zoos; rescuing animals from lives of misery in cages and allowing the communities from which these animals originate to care and conserve them in their natural habitat. Born Free is attempting to help wild animals in captivity to live in their natural habitat in coexistence with their human counterparts.
PAW
One of the most significant aspects of the Lilongwe Centre is the ethos under which it was created. Lilongwe’s development was brought about due to a pioneering idea instituted by the Born Free Foundation. A revolutionary model of conservation has been instigated in Lilongwe by Born Free through the practical implementation of their People and Wildlife (PAW) theory. Lilongwe is the pilot scheme for PAW which is Born Free’s answer to the problems of wildlife conservation in areas of poverty and degradation.
The mission statement for PAW clearly lays out it’s aims;
‘To develop a site specific, self-sustaining, ‘People and Wildlife’ wild animal rescue and education centre that promotes an holistic appreciation and understanding of animal welfare, wildlife conservation, environmental protection, humanitarian issues and actively engages in wildlife release and in-situ conservation programmes.’
Interdependence is the key word in the creation of this organisation. Born Free have made a commitment to help instigate an egalitarian relationship between environment, people and wildlife. They have understood that to make long-term environmental improvements they must tackle social and economic inequalities which occur in the areas that are their main conservation targets. The PAW concept understands that exploitation of wildlife for economic gain must be replaced with sustainable alternatives and local communities must be encouraged to regain a state of coexistence with their local flora and fauna. PAW seeks to create a harmonious society where environment contributes to the lives of the people in a constructive manner rather than just the plunder of its natural resources and inhabitants for money and food. This is the conclusion that Born Free hopes its PAW concept will achieve in Lilongwe; implementing the theory through their work with the community and the facilities which have been built at the centre.
PAW has core concepts that are both fundamental to its ethos and vital to its success. Criteria have been determined to best create a harmonious and progressive relationship between the people and wildlife of the area. With Lilongwe being a pilot scheme for the PAW concept it has a core set of values and targets central to creating a change in Lilongwe.
Using their experience of conservation and following the UN Millennium Development goals they have created this set of initiatives:-
Wildlife
• Provide sanctuary space for rescued, confiscated and rehabilitated animals
• Lobby government for better animal protection legislation.
• Release animals back into the wild whenever possible
• No captivity breeding
• Non contact for wildlife and visitors
• No exploitation of animals for commercial gain
People
• Develop business plan’s aiming at financial sustainability.
• Provide awareness and education on animal welfare, conservation and environmental protection.
• Provide education and advice on humanitarian issues relevant to the local people.
• Create interactive recreational and educational resources for local people ingratiating them with the wildlife.
Lilongwe’s Commitment to People
Although the function of the Lilongwe Centre is as a rescue and rehabilitation facility for the Malawian wildlife the centre is committed to impacting on the lives of people in Lilongwe. Operating an active community outreach programme from the centre helps to ingratiate the surrounding communities and hopefully make positive improvements for the local population. The focus is to address environmental, wildlife conservation and domestic animal welfare issues alongside key humanitarian issues faced by ordinary Malawians. Only through communication with the local population and by integrating them into the Lilongwe project can social and conservation problems be identified and solved as part of a collective effort.
Lead by Clement Manjaalera, the Lilongwe team is working alongside the Wildlife and Environment Society of Malawi to set up twelve active PAW Clubs in the residential areas bordering the sanctuary. These clubs consist of six men and six women, including local chieftains or social leaders. These groups are chosen internally by the communities to represent them and voice ctheir views, concerns and aspirations on the relationship and impact of the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre.
Through the meetings conducted with these groups and through the work of Dr Cheryl Mvula, the PAW technical advisor on community issues, topics have been identified to encourage community participation and help social improvement in the area. Topics include the community helping the centre to confiscate wild animals kept as pets, preventing poaching in Lilongwe’s wilderness zone, maintaining the electric fence surrounding the centre and making sure it is not breached. The community are also essential in promoting the centre to Malawians across the country. For this participation in conservation the centre will assist the community in environmental and humanitarian issues through education, advice, awareness and raising services in the local area.
The educational team at the Centre have developed a ‘Life Skills’ programme to include educational workshops addressing the medical issues of Malaria, TB and HIV/Aids. They also teach farming methods, alternative protein sources, income generating programmes and nutrition. Links with health and aid organisations have been developed, providing the communities with a comprehensive list of benefits as a result of the Lilongwe Centres inception.
The Centre attempts to provide direct benefits to the local people as it sees this as an essential aspect of gaining trust and support from the community. The centre has created employment opportunities such as purchasing agreements for the supply of animal feed. A craft market, run by the community, is in place at the centre accessed by visitors and tourists. Also free entry community days are hosted at the centre for local residents. These steps go toward ingratiating the centre within the society and culture of Lilongwe.
Recognising that in order to impact on wildlife conservation the centre must impact positively on the lives of those living around it has been a major breakthrough for cohesive social and environmental change. Creating an ethos of interdependence will mean a better life for the animals and the people of Lilongwe. The success here will hopefully clear the path for centres like this across Africa and the rest of the world.
Since the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre opened its gates a great deal of help has been given to Malawi’s sick, injured, displaced and rescued animals from across Malawi and the world. The centre has taken in over a hundred animals of varying species, size and condition. These include leopards, hyenas, baboons, vervet and blue monkeys, numerous small mammals such as bush babies and a number of reptiles and birds.
The centre is not a safari park or zoo, they do not breed animals and the first policy is to release all animals back into the wild unless they are too injured or incapable of surviving. If release is not possible the centre aims to rehabilitate and then home those animals in the biggest natural enclosures possible.
Many of the animals which come to the centre come from backgrounds of gross mistreatment, cruelty, injury or illegal activity. Below are a few examples of the life saving impact that the centre has had on some of its rescued animals.
‘Lucky, a yellow baboon, was found for sale in a market in Salima, a town in central Malawi. The rope he had been tied to since he was just a baby had never been loosened and had become deeply embedded into his body, leaving the most horrendous wound. This had then become infected and the stench it created was sickening. However Lucky lived up to his name; he has made a full recovery and has been integrated into the centres Baboon troop’.
‘Kimbuku, which is Chichewa for Leopard, was caught in a poacher’s snare in Nyika National Park resulting in a shattered Knee. He was taken to Lilongwe zoo to be treated but his injury never healed. As a result he remained in a small cage at the zoo for over ten years. In 2007 he was moved to the Wildlife Centre. His injury means he can never go back to the wild but at the centre he has over 2,500 sq meters to live out the rest of his days’.
‘Djinn arrived from Holland in July 2007 along with his two brothers. These Blue monkey’s parents had been illegally traded overseas. Their arrival marked the launch of an International Relocation Programme which allows wild animals traded abroad to be returned to their region of origin. All three have settled in extremely well and are enjoying their lives at the centre’.
The centres commitment to its animals is unfaltering in its dedication and all the animals are treated with equal care and attention. However Lilongwe has a very famous and prestigious resident whose rescue and rehabilitation was followed by news stations across the world.
Bella is a one eyed Lioness rescued from Buhusi zoo, a run down facility in Romania. Her rescue in 2009 was a joint operation between Born Free and a small NGO called Lions Roar.
Bella had been born at the Romanian Zoo in 2002. However she was then sold to gypsies who used her to attract tourists for photo opportunities. When she became too big to handle Bella was sold back to the zoo for breeding purposes. Due to poor living conditions and a poor diet when she was developing Bella has a curvature of the spine and unnaturally bowed back legs. Lions Roar discovered her living in appallingly filthy and barren conditions in the zoo. Not only was she alone but she was almost blind from an untreated glaucoma in her left eye and a cataract in her right.
After the Buhusi Zoo was closed forever in 2007 Bella was moved by the Born Free Foundation to Brasov Zoo, also in Romania, to have surgery on her eyes. Supervised by the Born Free medical team the operation was a success and Bell recovered her strength and health.
In March 2009 Bella left Romania forever and was transported to Lilongwe Wildlife Centre to live in a specially built enclosure and have a life unlike anything she had experienced before. Virginia McKenna was there to open Bella’s last cage and release her into the freedom and safety of the Lilongwe centres reserve.
Conclusion
The project which is taking place in Lilongwe is a pioneering venture which is hopefully opening the world’s eyes to the need to consider all living things as connected and dependent on one another. Environmental issues are becoming more important in the global political forum and understanding interdependence an essential aspect in solving the world’s ecological crisis. Centres such as Lilongwe are teaching people to live with nature in a harmonious existence which does not involve consuming the natural resources but using them in a sound and sustainable way. In the west we have lost much of our relationship with our surroundings and our natural landscape. In Malawi a project like Lilongwe means that communities can reconnect with their environment and instead of destroying it can prosper from saving and protecting it. Living in a way that sees all parts of the planet as essential to the continuation of our way of life is no longer a hippie leftist argument of the minority it is the stark reality of having pillaged the earth’s resources from its animals to its minerals. Centres like the one in Lilongwe are attempting to correct this imbalance, before it is too late.
Author: John Reid
