The Orphaned Monkeys of Malawi

Lilongwe Wild Life Centre, a sympathetic rescue center/nature reserve in the African state of Malawi, where AAP already has placed two groups of monkeys, has started a wonderful project. They are starting an ‘orphan home’ for all the young monkeys whose mothers have died – most of them shot in order to get the young.

The hunt for monkeys as bushmeat or as trading commodity is not nearly over in Africa. In all the markets young baby monkeys are available – suckling babies who really need their mothers. Some people take a small animal out of sympathy and raise it with a bottle. But as soon as the baby gets bigger and becomes more difficult to handle, they just return it to the wild where it literally has no chance of survival.

Professional
Lilongwe Wild Life Centre now has set up a department where all these orphans can be cared for and rehabilitated professionally. AAP fully supports this initiative: the fewer animals that are kidnapped from their homelands, the better. When a kidnapping does occur, the victim usually ends up with us sooner or later, physically handicapped due to poor nutrition or lack of sufficient space during confinement or emotionally traumatized.

Chance
Lilongwe Wild Life Centre and AAP have worked together for some time. In 2006 we took 3 Sykes monkeys to the center and last year a group of vervet monkeys left to go to this center. In the near future we hope that a large group of olive baboons will be re-homed to Lilongwe. For all these animals, this is the chance of a lifetime. After the orphans arrive in the rescue center and mature, thanks to the support from AAP, they will be returned as far as possible to the places where they were found. If this is not possible, then they will remain in the center.