Zambian Traveler

Dean's Hill View Lodge

Administrator — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:14:00 GMT

Looking for camping and chalet accommodation in Chipata? Look no further than Dean's Hill View Lodge. Relax in the Chipata Hills, on the outskirts of town, in secluded surroundings with lovely views. The Malawi Border is 25km to the East. Buses to Lusaka leave daily. Transport from the town to the spectacular Luangwa Game Park is available. The accommodation has been open for approximately 3 years but Dean's Hill View Lodge has chalets with rooms for your individual needs, shower units, flush toilets, a dining room and a well equiped kitchen.

Features:

Hot Showers & Food
Cold Beer and Drinks
Twin Rooms & Camping

Prices:

Prices are Chalets $10 per person per night .
Camping 5$ per person per night.
Breakfast is $3 to $4
Supper is $6

Contact:

Contact Us for Prices and Booking
Email bookings@deanshillviewlodge.co.uk
Phone: +260 (0) 6 221 673
Cellphone/Mobile Phone: +260 (0) 977 767 221
Dean's Hill View Lodge Website

Bobby's Wounds Test Chimpanzee's Faith in Keepers

Administrator — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:39:00 GMT

The early morning radio call from Stemson sounded urgent: “Bobby is badly injured!” Knowing Innocent and Sheila had already headed for town, I told Stemson to have the keepers get the other chimpanzees inside. Meanwhile, loaded with veterinary drugs and bribing materials, I headed over to the Project from the Orphanage, an eight-kilometer drive.

Upon arrival, I found some of the staff waiting at the top of Enclosure 4, where Bobby was last seen. Knowing it was not possible to go inside the enclosure with all the other chimpanzees outside, we had to make a plan. But a plan could not be made until Bobby had been spotted. After walking the fence line for some time, a few of the female chimpanzees were found, and the alpha males, Nicky and Sinkie, could be seen hanging around the night cages with all the younger males, just as one would see in a gangster movie. Clearly, Bobby was the one who had just been kicked out of the group. Julie and her two-year old son, Jack, called out soft warning pants, causing alarms between the girls. Nine-year old Miracle was not too sure what to make of this, while Kambo, carrying her son Kit, kept on glancing back to where Bobby apparently lay, near an old log covered with long grass.

The keepers knew just what to do. Carrying treats as bribes, they began to walk the girls back to the night cages, and fortunately for us, all of the males happily followed. Once the chimpanzees were locked inside, the keepers swung into the enclosure and it did not take Bobby long to come out from his hiding place, once he heard the calls of the men he knew so well. Hobbling one leg, Bobby appeared, his face pale as he held his foot in pain. On his left foot he had lost the second toe while his right foot had been badly bitten underneath, yet he preferred to walk on the foot with the missing toe, while lifting his swollen foot up. Bobby never responded to the soft hoots and pants from the staff when they saw him; he just wanted was to know that there was someone around. In all the years of Bobby getting injured he has never been very brave; he relies on the human touch for healing. Showing us his foot we knew that there was no way Bobby was going to make the walk back to the night cages.

We gave Bobby first one and then two injections of the anesthetic, ketamine, hoping to get him asleep so that we could treat his feet, but he managed to fight off the effects of both doses. Sitting back against a tree, Bobby just sat calmly and listened to the birds overhead, waving his hand now and then to chase the flies away from his foot. Periodically, Bobby glanced over in our direction, as if waiting for someone to move closer to give him yet another injection.

Finally, Bobby stood and moved to where I was sitting, and placed himself in front of me. He took my hand and just held it. Grooming his leg, I was able to get a good look at the left foot where the toe was missing, and it did not look nice. But it was the right foot we were most worried about, as the wound was deep and did not smell too good. I asked Bobby for his foot, and he lifted it and placed it on my leg. I cupped it in both my hands I looked at Bobby, who seemed quite happy to let someone else look at it.

It was getting late and we did not think it a wise idea to give Bobby another dose of anesthetic, so it was best to leave him for the night inside the enclosure. We gave Bobby a sack, some water and a bit of food, then we headed back to the night cages to check on the rest of the group. There was no way to know for sure how Bobby got injured, but we could easily guess. Clearly he had gotten into a disagreement with another chimpanzee that turned somehow violent, and Bobby – being one of the lower-ranking males – probably found himself fighting off a couple of extra chimpanzees before it was all over.

The next morning, we were able to inject Bobby with a dose of Zolatil, a more powerful anesthetic, and he went out like a light. That allowed us to put him into the back of the vanette and move him to the night cages, where he stayed for a week in order for us to monitor his foot. With the help of Sarah, our volunteer vet nurse from Australia, we cleaned up Bobby’s bad wounds and he was then placed on an antibiotics. Waking up an hour, later Bobby looked around for familiar faces and found he was next to our top escape artist, Chiffon, so they both had company for the next week.

Chimpanzees Escape
A recent Sunday started off as a quiet day, with only one vehicle visiting out at the Project area. Then there was a radio message to say two chimpanzees were out. Heading up to Enclosure 3, Innocent found that Roxy and Louise had managed to slip themselves underneath the fence line and where hanging around the staff. Louise, a gentle female, seemed quite happy to be on the wrong side of the fence, but Roxy thought it would be a good idea to try and explore. Jacob escorted Louise back to t he night cages while everyone kept a sharp eye out for Roxy, who had wondered off. It was not long before she was spotted and the staff gave chase to keep up with her. As if playing a game, Roxy kept the staff busy before heading back to the enclosure and slipping herself back underneath the fence line just as she had got out.

Cancer Claims Thompson
Illness is always sad in animals. Thompson was handed-raised by Sheila after arriving as an infant in 1995, but had contracted cancer along the way and had been suffering for some time. Three years ago, Thompson was operated on for an infected tooth in the right side of his mouth. We where warmed that this could give Thompson problems, and over the last few years we have kept a close watch on him. When necessary, called on our veterinarian, Dr. Bruce Peck from South Africa, to come up and check on him. Sadly, we could see that by the last week of August Thompson was in sharp decline, and we knew that there was nothing we could do to help him except make things comfortable for him. Thompson passed away on the August 28, on top of his favorite ant hill. He will be missed by all his friends of Enclosure 3.

New Projects
The last few months one of the projects on hand is to solve our water problems by creating a way to get water directly from the Kafue River to the chimpanzee enclosures. This will help with the cleaning of the night cages and daily water ponds. For this to happen, water pipes needed to be laid underground for a distance of approximately six kilometers. We don’t have the funds to hire a trench digging machine, so the next best thing was to hire labor crews to start digging this long trench. Once that is completed, we will purchase the pipe – and the pump – necessary to put the project into action.

The other project we’re focused on is the making of new blocks for staff housing. Zambeef kindly sponsored a block making machine, and we assembled a work crew to test it out. Using one bag of cement, a couple of shovels of stone and sand, they poured the mixture into the block mold. They then push a lever down and the cement is compounded into the mould. After a but pounding on the machine -- to ensure that the mould is formed -- the block maker is then gently lifted up, leaving behind a perfect 8-inch block. The work crew has even found a way to utilize the clay formed by the large ant hills on the property, using the crushed material to create even stronger blocks.

Billy’s Toy
It all began many years ago when old truck tires were cut in half and placed in different parts of the Orphanage as fencing. Billy, our resident hippopotamus, used to have a favorite tire in front of the kitchen window she would use to drink out of during the day. The other half of the tire was placed near the food shed, which the geese would enjoy during the day. One day, we heard the sounds of a tire being daggered around the back yard, and upon checking, we found Billy having a great game with a tire in her mouth. She would pick it up, shake the tire in the air, and then suddenly let it go and watch as it rolled away from her. Then, like a two-ton kitten, Billy would run after the tire catch it. She would repeat this game over and over. Often, in the early hours of the morning when all others were asleep, Billy could be heard throwing her tire around the compound.

Sunday morning was just like any other normal day, except Billy had thought it would be a good idea to pull one of the half tires away from the chimpanzees’ night cages to swing around. Sheila and I watched from the kitchen window laughing at how a hippopotamus can still be so playful. But we quickly realized that something was not right. Billy had bitten so deeply into the tire that it was now stuck on her two bottom teeth. No matter how Billy turned and twisted her head the tire was not about to come loose. At first Billy did not seem too concerned, but then it became clear that the tire would nto come off. Sheila also became very concerned, as what does one do to help a fully grown hippo remove a half tire from her teeth?

Standing outside, Sheila called to Billy, who responded by walking with Sheila down to her usual feeding place. It was hoped that Billy might be able to lift her head over her feeding rails then by convincing her to move her head back down, the tire might hook on the rails of the fence and come off. Sheila spoke to Billy in a calm voice, and for a short while Billy just stood, as if to be listening to her mother. Billy then rested her head down on the ground for a couple of seconds, as if to think what to do next, then shaking her head once more and one part of the tire managed to unhook itself off the tooth. A short time later, Billy managed to rub up against a tree and loosen the other side, and the tire fell to the ground.

the other side off to rubber the tyre once again on the tree trunk for the other side to come free. The worried staff all cheered, and Sheila and I let out great sighs of relief. Sheila said her biggest fear had been needing to call in a vet to dart a hippo so that a tire could be removed from her bottom teeth. That would have caused a good laugh worldwide!

On that happy note we would like to say “thank you” all so much for your kind support in membership, adoptions, and for the time you have spent reading our newsletters.

Please visit our blog website www.chimfunshi.wildlifedirect.org.

Follow Innocent Mulenga's tweets on http://twitter.com/Chimfunshi.

Hoots and pants from all the chimpanzees,

Sylvia Jones

Chimfunshi Names Innocent Chitalu Mulenga as Interim Manager

Administrator — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 11:34:00 GMT

The Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia has promoted Innocent Chitalu Mulenga to the position of interim manager, making him the first Zambian to oversee daily operations of the chimpanzee sanctuary since it was founded in 1983.

Mulenga fills the role vacated by Tony Rauch, who resigned after almost two years in the post on July 15.

Mulenga’s promotion was announced by Chimfunshi Board of Trustees chairman Charles “Tig” Siddle, who said he hopes to hire a permanent manager by the end of the year. Until then, Mulenga – who will also be considered for the permanent position – will handle all aspects of Chimfunshi’s operations.

"Chimfunshi is indeed lucky to be able to turn to Innocent Mulenga to handle the day-to-day responsibility of managing the sanctuary, even as we begin the search for a permanent replacement,” Siddle said. “Innocent is well-versed in the routine, he is respected by the staff, and he is trained in primatology. He enjoys the complete confidence of the Chimfunshi board of trustees and is a valuable asset."

Mulenga, 35, joined Chimfunshi as an education officer in 2005, and was promoted to project manager under Rauch two years later. Born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia, Mulenga graduated from the University of Zambia in 2004 and earned his Master of Science degree in primate conservation from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom in 2007.

Chimfunshi is one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world, and recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. More than 145 chimpanzees have found care and protection at Chimfunshi since it was created by David and Sheila Siddle on their cattle ranch in central Zambia in 1983.

For more information, please visit the Chimfunshi website or contact ChimfunshiUSA@aol.com.

Eusebio Adjusts to Old Age, Americans Repair Old Roads

Administrator — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:33:00 GMT

Eusebio is one of the oldest chimpanzees at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage. He came to us in 2000 from Chile, where he had lived alone for years at a zoo in Santiago, and he was 24 years of age when he arrived. His release had been leveraged by Carlos and Elba Munoz, founders of the Siglo XXI Primate Sanctuary, and they traveled all the way to Chimfunshi to make sure he settled in well.

But nine years down the line, we noticed that Eusebio was beginning to show his age. He seemed to have slowed down in his walking, and although he still had a good appetite, he seemed to be losing weight. Due to age, his 33-year old skin tears for nothing, leaving him with cuts and scratches on his body. The bachelor group he lives in took note of this fact, and Eusebio had become an easy target for the younger chimpanzees to steal his food and display at him.

It was therefore decided that it would be a good idea to start Eusebio on a vitamin boost. He loves the new treats and he looks forward to them daily. Yet, all the extra food and vitamins never seemed to make a difference in his appearance. In fact, Eusebio was starting to look old and the worse for wear and he had a couple of really bad cuts. It seemed time to move him. So we decided to take him from the seven-acre bachelor enclosure and put him in Sandy’s old cage near the Siddle house.

But how do you move a 33-year old chimpanzee? Carefully, as it turns out. Innocent Mulenga, who is trained in anesthesia and handles our day-to-day veterinary care, read the instructions on the drug we where going to give to Eusebio to knock him out. Checking our records we noticed that the last time Eusebio was darted we had to use almost three times the normal amount before it took any affect on him. Not happy about this, Innocent injected Eusebio with the standard amount, which should have taken no more than 20 minutes to take effect. One hour later, Eusebio still sat happily on top of the feeding table, enjoying the attention. A second dose was given and still no affect. We were worried about injecting him again so we thought it was best for Dr. Emmanuel Chitambala, the local Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) veterinarian from Chingola, to be called in.

When Dr. Chitambala arrived the next day, we informed him as to Eusebio’s track record on the drugs. Dr. Chitambala smiled and said, “You must have done something wrong.” Not wanting to disagree with the vet, we just stood by and watched as he injected Eusebio. Waiting quietly for signs that the drug had taken effect, it was the Doctor who then began to look worried, as nothing happened after half an hour. Not happy, he injected Eusebio once again and waited, but only after the fourth injection did Eusebio finely doze off. Moving him to his new night cage was the easy part. Dr. Chitambala cleaned up his sores, the biggest being under his testicles. Darting chimpanzees late afternoon is never very good as it is not possible to keep an eye on them overnight. Early the following morning I checked on Eusebio who was curled under his new blanket. Looking up he greeting me like a long lost friend. This made me feel good knowing that he was OK.

Over the last few days Eusebio has grown used to his new home he has also seen that his night cage is facing the food storage room. Using the humans has its rewarding points - his calls out to them, demanding food when someone enters the storage room, and he nearly always gets something. I am happy to say that he has now picked up weight and is looking good!

The Chimfunshi Education Center comes alive each year with annual visit of Dr. Mark Bodamer from America and his students from Gonzaga University. This year, Dr. Bill Ettinger and many more students joined him. The sounds of laughter and excitement can be heard echoing throughout. We hope that they all enjoy their stay and leave with many good and exciting memories of the chimpanzees and humans.

During their stay it has always been planned that many of the Zambian international schools arrange to have their Grade 5 students visit Chimfunshi. Simba School from Ndola was the first school to arrive this year, bringing with them 32 children and four adults. Innocent put together an education program for the children, and the children are split into groups and each group has two American students as their leader. This allows each child to have an older person to help out should a problem or a need arise. Innocent talks to the children about the chimpanzees, the children spend a morning sitting in front of the chimpanzees studying them; he then guides them through the surrounding forest, teaching them about trees and the creatures that live in the forest. In the afternoons, the children are taken to the football field on our open flood plain where relaxing games are played. After dinner there is story-telling and singing as we all sit around the campfire.

Having raised money while back home in the States Mark and his team arrange and pay for a few underprivileged local schools from around the area to come and spend a couple of nights at Chimfunshi. Between 12 and 15 children are chosen from each school. Mark and a couple of his students then collect the children and bring them to our Chimfunshi Education Center. Some of these local children barely get a meal a day, so coming here and being offered three meals a day is a big excitement in and of itself, as well as the opportunity for a shower and to sleep in their own bed. Watching a video is something small to us but to them some thing they will never forget -- especially if they are in the video! Many of the local children are not as keen to wander through the forest as they live in the surrounding bush areas and for them the opportunity to sit in front of a TV and watch a video is much more exciting. Each evening is highlighted with amazing singing and dancing.

The 7-kilometer road from the Chimfunshi Orphanage to the Chimfunshi Education Center deteriorated over the last few months as a result of the heavy rains. But Tony Rauch, Chimfunshi’s manager, and Mark came up with a great idea: perhaps a couple of the American students would be keen to try and repair some of the pot holes. Ten students and two vehicles spent the morning doing road repairs. Loaded with shovels and picks they set off, and groups of two or three were dropped of at the really bad holes, while others helped with the loading of heavy bags of laterite and sand and offloading the bags into the pot holes. One group even headed off into the bush collecting termite mounds, which where crushed and used to fill in some pot holes.

Almost 20 minutes after the termite mounds where crushed, a string of about100 big black army ants came out of the grass across the road and went straight to the crushed termite mound. It took the ants about five minutes to collect up as many termites as they could carry away with them before moving back into the grass. They no sooner left when another group of army ants appeared from the bush and started the same process as the first group. The students where fascinated by this, and took a break from work to observe. Meanwhile, halfway down the road the next group of students using an old paint bucket to scoop the old muddy water out thought it would be a good idea to start of mud fight. It did not take long before fun, laughter and water was thrown on the bystanders.

All too often, we hear the dreaded call over the two-way radio: “Chimps are out!" One recent day, the call came in and Innocent rushed straight out to the enclosures to see who had escaped and to make sure everyone had been cleared out the area. On arriving at Enclosure 3, Innocent was surprised to find Louise and Barbie on the wrong side of the fence – particularly since it is not like these two to escape with out assistance of an alpha male. Louise, the instigator, had managed to gather five or six pieces of long bamboo from the nearby forest, carefully laid the bamboo against the hot wires of the electrical fence, then climbed over with great care. Barbie, who was menstruating, carefully followed suit. Often the female chimpanzees will try to escape from their group in hopes of displaying to other male chimpanzees. That was certainly the case this time.

The chimpanzees inside Enclosure 4 had heard the hoots and pants from the chimpanzees in Enclosure 3, making it impossible for the staff to get the chimpanzees inside their night cages. This was perfect for Barbie, who happily displayed her swollen rear end to the male chimpanzees from the wrong side of the fence. Nicky, the alpha male in Enclosure 4, was at a loss. He could not respond to Barbie because he knew that should he touch the electrical fence, he would get shocked. Bobby and the other males hooted and panted as if to encourage Barbie’s display. Louise participated in all the excitement by standing with Barbie.

After removing Louise’s escape tools from the fence line, Innocent and the handlers managed to get the two chimpanzees back into their own enclosures before any damage was done. Louise, normally is the quite peaceful chimpanzee of this group, so what made her plan such an escape only she will know.

Chimfunshi Founder to Speak in U.S. in May‏

Administrator — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Sheila Siddle, whose fateful decision to save a badly injured chimpanzee in 1983 led to the creation of the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia, will conduct a brief speaking tour in the United States in May.

Siddle, 78, will appear at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago on May 15, then make subsequent appearances at the Cincinnati Zoo (May 18), Louisville Zoo (May 19) and the Toledo Zoo (May 22).

Siddle will also be in the U.S. to take part in the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA 2009 Management Workshop, which will be held May 19-21 in Columbus, Ohio.

The visit will be Siddle’s first to the U.S. since she toured in 2001 to follow the release of her highly acclaimed autobiography, In My Family Tree: A Life with Chimpanzees (Grove). That book has since been translated into German, Dutch and French, and primate expert Dr. Richard Leakey called it “emotional, but certainly a ‘must-be-read’ book.”

Siddle will discuss many of the special chimpanzees – and the inherent challenges – that led to one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world.

Chimfunshi was one of the first rescue and rehabilitation centers for orphaned chimpanzees in Africa, and currently cares for 126 at its facility in central Zambia. Siddle, who co-founded Chimfunshi on a dairy farm along with her late husband, David, helped pioneer many of the protocols and policies that are standard in sanctuaries today.

For more information, please visit www.chimfunshi.org.za or contact ChimfunshiUSA@aol.com

Chimfunshi Favorite Gets Indoor-Outdoor Enclosure

Administrator — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:32:00 GMT

An adult male chimpanzee that had been kept indoors for almost a decade because of persistent escapes is now able to roam more freely thanks to a covered enclosure that is in place at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia.

Sandy is one of the most popular and beguiling of the 126 chimpanzees at Chimfunshi, but his ability to break out of all conventional enclosures meant he had to be confined to a handling facility since 2001 while a solution was sought.

Thanks to funding supplied by the Arcus Foundation, the Sweden Chimpanzee Trust, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, and private donors, a new enclosure that included 216 cubic meters of covered outdoor space was completed in late February. The facility also featured a spacious two-room indoor handling area.
Sandy was released into the enclosure on February 27, and quickly began swinging freely for the first time in years.

“It's so important for a chimpanzee to feel safe and secure in his environment, and this was always our primary motivation with Sandy,” said Sheila Siddle, who co-founded Chimfunshi with her husband, David, in 1983. “The fact that he can now do it out of doors is wonderful, and I am hopeful he will adapt to his new surroundings well. He is such a special chimpanzee, and always one of my favorites."

Two other escape artists were also placed in the enclosure with Sandy: Cleo, a 26-year old female, and Chrissy, her three-year old daughter.

Sandy arrived at Chimfunshi as an infant in 1986, after being confiscated from illegal traders. Known for his impish behavior and love of causing havoc, Sandy also grew into the largest chimpanzee at the sanctuary, eventually topping out at over 170 pounds. Despite Sandy’s size, however, he is not comfortable around most chimpanzees and foiled repeated attempts to integrate him into both new and existing social groups over the years. Siddle believes that distrust of other chimpanzees can be traced to an incident that occurred in 1990, when Sandy was attacked by a crocodile along the Kafue River in Zambia, then was severely beaten by other chimpanzees as he scrambled for help.

Although Sandy recovered from his physical wounds, he never regained his trust in other chimpanzees.

The new enclosure was designed by Chimfunshi manager Tony Rauch, and constructed near the existing 500-acre enclosures on the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust property. All of the work – including bricklaying, welding, and painting – was done by Chimfunshi staff.

Chimfunshi is one of the oldest and largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world. For more information, please visit www.chimfunshi.org.za or contact ChimfunshiUSA@aol.com.

Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage January 2009 Newsletter‏

Administrator — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:51:00 GMT

People ask us about the fruits we buy for the chimpanzees. Each Tuesday and Friday as we head into town, we are met by six local farmers along the dirt road. We order wild fruits and vegetables as we head towards Chingola and collect it on our way back. Across the Kafue River on the farm side there are also three local villages, and each village is given a turn on a Wednesday to bring their fruits and vegetables to sell to us.

There’s an amazing variety, depending on the season, and the prices have remained pretty reasonable through the years. A 50-kilogram bag of cabbages, for instance, is available from January through November and goes for USD $4, and we purchase about 36 bags per week.

Mangos are available from November through February, and they cost USD $3.50 per bag. We usually buy 50 bags of those per week. Avocadoes are also a favorite of the chimpanzees, and at USD $3.50 for a bag, we get about 45 bags per week.

We also get some items that you might not find on the local supermarket shelves. Sugar cane, for instance, costs USD $.11 per stick, and we buy up about 500 sticks at a time, if we can. The chimpanzees hoot and pant with excitement when they spy the sugar cane coming out of the food store rooms, and they can spend hours chewing on the stalks to get down to the syrup inside. But many find another use for the stalks: They wield them like clubs and beat each other in games that often threaten to get out of hand. Other local specialties include musakas, impundus, and ntungulas, all wild fruits that the chimpanzees might find in the forest.

But which is the chimpanzees’ favorite fruit? Of course, each chimpanzee is different, just like we humans, but there are some obvious trends. At this time of the year the chimpanzees go mad on mangoes, and it seems we can never buy enough of those. Some chimpanzees will even leave their bananas lying on the feeding table if a mango is nearby. If someone dares to steal a mango from his neighbor you will hear the scream and cries. Cabbage, oddly enough, is one of the next favorite foods. This time of the year due to all the rains cabbages are not easily available so we do make a point of buying extra cabbages when doing our own shopping in town. Avocadoes are another favorite fruit, and watching the chimpanzees peel the skin off very carefully and then eating slowly to savor each bit is a delight.

It has been some time since Billy the hippopotamus misbehaved. Rainy season is one of her favorite times, as she is able to wander off to the near by flood plains without the fishermen and poachers spotting her. She also has her own favorite mud holes that she has created over the years in her own back garden, and visitors are often amazed to find a hippo lying happily in a puddle of water next to our feed room. The other prime spot is halfway around our round-about, and each year after the first showers this mud puddle becomes great fun for the geese and Billy.

Early one Saturday morning around the middle of the month, Billy arrived at the house as usual around 5.30am, Mom could hear Billy was around, as she rattled on the metal barriers we’ve placed to keep her from barging into the house, and that was followed by the sound of a large metal pot falling to the ground in the back kitchen. But Mom carried on in the kitchen, preparing the morning milk for the chimpanzees. Tired of being ignored, Billy wandered to the door in the hopes that her milk was being warmed up too. But unbeknownst to Billy, Mom had snuck out the back door and climbed into the waiting taxi and was on her way to Mazabuka. She was to be away for three days with the family for her granddaughter’s 21st Birthday. Having watched Mom drive off, I heated up Billy's two bottles of milk then fed her just like any other day - except it was not Mom feeding her. Just like every other morning she drank her milk happily closing her eyes as a sign of enjoyment. After her bottles she went and laid next to the feed room just like any other day. Around midday she wandered over to the seven-acre enclosure that holds the bachelor chimpanzees and laid inside the building for a short while, then headed down to the Kafue River.

Sunday morning we received a phone call from our neighbors 30 kilometers downstream. "Billy is here,” they said. “She is lying in front of our main gate so we are unable to leave our house. Do not worry, she has not done any damage -- yet". Mom arrived back from her journey a few days later and looked a bit disappointed when I mentioned that Billy left home the same day she did. The next morning at 5:30 a.m., Billy was back, banging on the metal barriers, only to be greeted by a very happy “mother.”

One Monday, when all the staff had knocked off for the day, I was sitting outside and watching the world go by. But suddenly I was shocked to see a young Vervet monkey sitting in the middle of the drive way. Both of Mom's dogs -- Titch and Buster -- where standing next to it. Calling them away I slowly walked up to the Vervet, but it did not move or try and run. Only when I knelt down could I see the reason why: The poor monkey had a deep cut just above its eyes and blood was pouring down it face. Both eyes where shut tight and were black and blue. Wrapping my towel around the Vervet I carried it back to the house. With one hand I managed to open the medicine cupboard to get cleaning materials out. After cleaning the open wound I gave the Vervet some rescue drops, a pain killer, then placed it into a sky kennel to rest.

At first, the Vervet just sat there, traumatized. Then, after some time it began to run around in circles inside the sky kennel, frightened. There was nothing I could do except watch. Then I started to blow into the cage in hopes that it would come in the direction of the wind so that I could give it more water or food. Slowly I opened the cage door and handed it some banana which it accepted straight from my hand. Two days later the wound had closed but the eyes still look black and blue, even though one of its eyes had opened. But now that this wild Vervet could see, it is not too happy to come too close to us. We managed to place it in an outside cage, where it will stay until its injuries have healed up. Each day we watch this young Vervet watching his friends climb around on the tree tops calling out.

Finally, after a week of steady progress, Mom thought he looked much better and said it was time to release him. Standing out the way Mom opened the door to the cage, and we both thought this little guy would make a run for it. But no, he came out slowly and sat around for a while and then moved out into the open where he could look around before running onto the parrots cage. It was wonderful to see him back with his own kind again. We can only hope that this Vervet is accepted back with his troop.

Last September, we told you about a chimpanzee called Mads, who we discovered at feeding time had broken her leg. Knowing we were not able to put Mads back into her own family group, we thought it would be best to try and integrate her into the youngest group here at the orphanage. Integrating new chimpanzees into an already formed group is never very easy for the reason that the existing family groups find it hard to accept strangers. This is a slow process. After watching at feeding times as to who was friendly with Mads through the cage bars, we thought it would be a good idea to introduce Hans to Mads before anyone else.

Around midday, Hans was the first to appear at the cages, so we thought it would be a good time, seeing that none of the other chimpanzees were around to hoot and pant should anything go wrong, which always makes a bad scene worse. We called Hans inside, then opened all the necessary doors to Mads’ night cage. At first Hans approached Mads like a chimpanzee prepared for a challenge - blown up twice his size with his hair all standing on end. Mads hooted and panted in fear as he approached her. Female chimpanzees know that when a male is challenging them the best thing to do is submit by offering him the rear end, so Mads did. To Hans, this was the best thing any chimpanzee had ever done to him as he is one of the lowest ranking chimpanzees in this group. It did not take Hans long to show affection to Mads, the little pants and hoots of enjoyment between these two could be heard by all. Hans refused to leave Mads’ night room for the next week.

One by one over the next few days, we tried each chimpanzee in with Mads. Cindy, Dominique and DeeDee accepted this new chimpanzee with no fuss, and Bili (pictured at left) became so enamored that he’s become very protective over Mads and he will not allow any one near her when he is sharing her night cage. Feed times become a problem as Bili feels he should get her share of food for being her protector. Ultimately, it was time to introduce Alice and Madonna – Oh! What a disaster! We had a feeling that these two female chimpanzees would not accept Mads, so we thought it would be best if we left Bili in to protect her should anything go wrong. We opened the night cage door and Madonna and Alice rushed in and attacked Mads. Mads tried to hide behind Bili, who by now had lost the battle as the two elder chimpanzees where ganging up on him as well as Mads. The staff and I stood by loaded with buckets of mangoes and ground nuts, one of the chimpanzee's favorite foods, but it made not difference. We eventually threw buckets of water in to try and separate the fighting chimpanzees. It worked - Alice and Madonna ran for cover under a table while Bili and Mads ran back into their own night cage. Hoots and pants of fear and anger echoed around the night cages. Poor Mads was the only chimpanzee to land up with any injures, as someone had bitten her badly her right hand. But Bili was the first to attend to her wounds as he held onto her hand and licked the wound.

Clearly, this is going to take a little longer…

Love,

Sylvia

December 2008 Newsletter

Administrator — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:09:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

I ended November's newsletter by mentioning that I would write this month about the usage of tools. Milla, the elderly matriarch of the Enclosure Two group, has demonstrated that to us very clearly this month. Unfortunately we where not able to get any photos! Where is the camera when you need it?

Albert and his team of workers where busy late afternoon at Enclosure One and the chimpanzees had not been released yet as the staff were busy cleaning up inside the enclosure and also putting fresh water into the pond. At Enclosure Two the chimpanzees had been released an hour early. Talking amongst themselves the staff realized that the sounds of the hoots and pants echoing from Enclosure Two where those of a warning sound. Leaving Enclosure One they all headed back to Enclosure Two to see what the loud shouts were all about. The staff could not believe their eyes when they arrived there! Milla had gone off into the forest and had managed to drag back with her a very large log that she very carefully placed up against the electrical fence, making sure that she did not touch any of the live wires. When the staff arrived, Milla was already half way up the log, her long slim body balancing very carefully, hoping not to touch any wires on her way up. The rest of the group of 41,hooted and panted below the log just like a group of dare-devils encouraging a friend along the way.

Albert acted quickly and grabbed handfuls of biscuits from the near by food store room and threw them over the fence into the enclosure. The chimpanzees soon forgot about Milla and her escape as they rushed around trying to collect handfuls of biscuits. Milla hesitated on the log, looking back at her friends, and now had to decide whether to continue her journey over the fence or join her friends in collecting biscuits. Fortunately for the humans, Milla's thoughst of food got the better of her and she jumped down from her log. The staff quickly found a step ladder, placed it on the outside of the enclosure and managed to lift Milla's log over the fence. Albert then called to Milla, showing her the handful of biscuits he had kept for her. She looked pleased with what Albert had to offer and willingly walked back into the night cages, where she remained for the next few days. Milla is an odd chimpanzee -- there are times when she just refuses to go outside for days on end and happily sits indoors, watching the staff from her night cage.

Three weeks later we thought that we had beaten Milla at her own game, but no way -- she still has a few more tricks up her old sleeves. Friday morning, when Innocent was on his way to catch the truck going into town, there was a radio call: "Milla is out". Turning around, Innocent headed back to the enclosures to see what Milla was up to. Late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, Milla must have somehow managed to get out of Enclosure Two. Having no one around, Milla had time to look around to see where she could best sleep the night. After pulling a large amount of thatching grass out of the nearby shelter, she headed towards the public toilets and made the most beautiful nest in the door way. The staff where shocked to find Milla happily sitting in her nest, waiting for their arrival. Albert and the staff opened the night cage door for Milla showing her the large amount of fresh apples and other fruits they had placed in there for her. Walking up to the door Milla glanced inside, saw the food but then she closed the night cage door, then bolted it and started to walk towards Enclosure One. Fortunately all the chimpanzees from Enclosure One where already out in the forest. The staff opened a night cage door for Milla. she looked around and seemed to be very happy with her new home, so climbed in. The staff then closed the door behind her. From the distance of the tree tops the chimpanzees of Enclosure One watched as this new chimpanzee settled into their night room, and they were not pleased. As you can imagine, feeding time was not a quiet one for the staff as the chimpanzees hooted and panted at the new stranger, and poor Milla was not made to feel welcome. Innocent plans to dart Milla in the New Year and move her back to her own enclosure.

The December rains are here, and they bring us a supply of new fresh fruits and lots of wild berries. But they also bring something else: wild mushrooms, which attract people from miles around. The wild mushrooms are picked by the locals then dried and sold on road sides and town markets. But sadly this also causes the people to cut fences and do damage to our property just to get to the mushrooms. For years we have tried to control this but have never had any joy.

December is also the month for the mangos, which are loved dearly by the chimpanzees and the people alike. The chimpanzees will even leave their bananas when mangos are spotted in the feeding boxes. The other favorite this time of the year is avocados. We are very fortunate that years ago trees where planted on the farm area therefore we do not pay a big price for these fruits. We are currently paying 300 kwacha per Kg, and 50-kilo bag costs us only about $5 USD.

Sadly, our little Nick, the infant Vervet monkey, passed away on the 22nd December 2008. Although the skin on his tummy seemed to clear up, we noticed that his little hands always tried to scratch the area where the skin had been worn away by the ropes he wore when we found him. Until the day Nick died he refused to drink milk, no matter how hard we tried. The only food he seemed to like was sweet corn, the odd bit of bread but not enough to fill a young monkey's tummy. Mom and I became very worried about him as he even refused to eat bananas, which is one of the most loved fruits. On feeling around Nick's tummy Mom was so sure that little Nick must have had some type of internal injures that we never knew about. We also notice that when picking him up him would bite and now we think that something was not right. Nick brought us a lot of joy the short time he lived with us. My dogs would allow him to sit on the edge of the basket while he ate a small piece of fruit bar in the evenings.

The afternoon December 17th was dull as the rain clouds gathered above, Toto and his group were released out into the 5-acre enclosure, but these chimpanzees are normally not keen to come out into the open if there is sign of rain. They prefer to play indoors. On this afternoon, however, Karla was the first chimpanzee to come out, followed by Billi and Hans. For some unknown reason, Cindy came rushing out and began to pick on Karla. Screaming and rushing for cover, Karla ran underneath the bushes. Toto, the alpha male. heard her calls and came out to see what was happening. He then began to chase Cindy, which caused excitement among the other chimpanzees. Everyone was rushing around screaming and frightened. Little Dominique stood for a short while watching, and it seemed he was not sure what to do. It was then that Toto came running from nowhere up to Dominique, so Dominique decided to act. He puffed himself up, stood on his hind legs, and began to beat Toto on the chest with his little fists, hooting and panting. Toto just stood there. Dominique is three years old and the youngest chimpanzee of the group, and to suddenly display and attack the alpha male was quite a big step. When Dominique had finished, Toto put his large hand on Dominique's back, giving him a reassuring hug as if to say "all is OK". Toto then walked off in one direction while Dominique just sat looking very pleased with himself.

Once the chimpanzees had all quieted down, the fun and games began. Karla (pictured below) was the first to climb into the water pond. At first she just sat near the edge letting her fingers run over the top of the water. Finding this to be good fun, she then began to move her knees up and down causing waves in the pond. She then jumped out of the water rubbing her back on the grass as if to dry herself. Suddenly she jumped up and almost dived back into the water, jumping up and down once again. She then lay in the middle of the pond on her tummy, opening her mouth wide and letting the water run into her mouth. Like a child in a new pond she played happily with the water. The other chimpanzees watched. Sims was keen to play but not too keen to get wet so he gently climbed into the pond paddled around for a few minutes and climbed out. Near by the pond was a rain puddle which amused him more as he managed to splash Karla from a distance. DeeDee was the next to wander into the water she just stood near the edge keeping a keen eye on the other chimpanzees as if to watch that no one pushed her. It did not take Alice long before she could see the fun and games one could have in the water. Jumping in from a distance she began to chase and splash Karla. Running for cover she jumped out the pond and stood by watching and waiting until Alice was not looking. She pounced back into the pond giving Alice bigger waves. These two chimpanzees played for well over an hour in the pond, chasing each other ducking faces under the water. At one stage it looked like Alice was taking a bath as she took handfuls of water up to her face and began to wipe her face down. Standing near by we could hear as she blew out of her nose while washing her face. Our visitors stood and watched in amazement. Every now and then Billi would approach the edge of the pond, trying to splash the nearby chimpanzees but he did not dare go into the water. Toto sat well away from the unruly bunch, but every now and then he would nod his head in our direction and point to the near by lemon tree, we would happily pick and throw him another lemon.

As the saying goes, "it never rains but pours". One of the early morning duties of the staff here at the Orphanage is walking the enclosures before the chimpanzees are released for the day. Who knows -- in the rainy season a dead tree might have dropped onto the fence line during the night, with the rains the grass grows thick around the fence line making it difficult to keep up with clearing and slashing of the grass. The second job is for Dominique to test the fence to see what the electrical fence is reading. Some days in the rainy season the power drops down due to a lack of sun.

In the early morning of December 29th, we could hear loud screams and shouts from the bachelor chimpanzees, and we could also hear the odd warning pant. This is common coming from our bachelor as some days they will tease the oldest chimpanzee, Eusebio, or someone has spotted a monitor lizard inside the enclosure. None of us seemed to worry until Andrew came running up shouting, "Choco is out! Choco is out". Choco is a 23-year old male chimpanzee who is very soft natured, but he has his moments. Mom was the first to rush over to the bachelors’ enclosure to see if she could assist. Mom thought it was best to sit on a nearby log as Choco approached her at full speed, all fluffed up. Rushing up to Mom he threw his arms around her and hugged her for some time. Now, having a 23-year old chimpanzee four times stronger that you hugging you can be a bit painful, but Mom just threw her arms around him telling him how beautiful he is. We all just stood by and watched in amazement. Letting go of Mom, Choco started to wander over to the driveway of the Orphanage with Dominique, Andrew and Chobela closely behind. One of Chimfunshi rules when a chimpanzee has escaped is to get all the other chimpanzees back into their night cages- this saves us landing up with fights between chimpanzees who have not met one another. Choco approached Cleo, Sandy and Colin in their cage. The body language between these chimpanzees was not a good one, but fortunately no one could get hurt. As luck may have it Innocent arrived at the Orphanage in time to prepare the dart gun. We have been very lucky that Innocent has learnt to do the darting of chimpanzees; it was the job that only Dad used to do in his day. The dart gun was loaded and ready, and all Innocent needed to do now was get close to Choco to be able to dart him. Watching out of the office window trying to see where Choco was, I noticed the look on Chobela's face -- it was a look that said something has happened around the corner. The staff stood still. They knew it is not possible for them to go and help Mom. Meanwhile, Mom had been following Choco at a distance, calling to him all the time. Suddenly he turned and rushed back to Mom for another hug, only this time Mom was standing. The force of a large chimpanzee rushing at you for a hug knocked Mom to the ground, but Choco still held onto Mom - together their lay on the ground. Mom was not hurt at all.

Walking around with a loaded dart gun hidden behind one’s back is not very easy, and each time Choco turned to look at the new stranger, Innocent had to stand still and pretend like all was well. Dominique was used as the prop for Innocent who hid behind him and slowly they walked closer to where Choco was hanging onto Cleo's night cage. Innocent aimed and fired, the dart hits Choco in the hind leg. Innocent ran and Choco screamed and looked at his leg to see what bit him. The rest of us stayed calm as we waited for the drug to take affect. Choco moved away from the cage still checking his leg out, it was not long before he started to stagger. On the driveway Choco collapsed since his leg no longer worked. Mom went to comfort him, he held onto Mom giving her great big kisses. After what seemed like ages Choco tried to move to the nearby tree to try and climb it, hugging the tree he was unable to move. Although the drug had affected Choco’s legs, he was still too strong for us to try and carry him back to his night cage. We then noticed that Choco was keen to follow me, so the next idea was that I walked slowly back to the bachelors with Choco very closely behind me. Once we where at the bachelors we tried to get him into the enclosure as we knew it was not possible to lift him into the cage. Choco refused to go into the enclosure. Worried that the drug might wear off before we had managed to get him it we thought it would be best to give him a top up injection. The top injection did the trick, Dominique and Andrew carried Choco to the safely of his own cage. One hour later we checked to see how he was doing as he should have been lying in a corner feeling sorry for himself, but no Choco was sitting on the feeding table waiting for his meal.

On checking the energizer for the electric fence we found that lightening must have hit the energizer causing the main board to blow. Now that Choco was back in his own night cage, Chobela testing the batteries at the bachelors and also for the 5-acre and 14-acre enclosures. We where shocked to find that both the main boards had blown. For the next three days, Dominique and Chobela spent hours walking around the fenceline trying to find the main fault, and the only way to do this is by disconnecting each line and testing each separately. On a couple of occasions, Careen, our little mischief chimpanzee, would climb out between the bars on her enclosure and come to inspect what Dominique and Chobela where up to. Careen would sit on Chobela's back or next to him watching them work. At times like this it is always best to keep on eye on the pliers and loose wire in case she steals them and tries to undo all the hard work they have done.

Fortunately we had one new board as a spare as it is seldom that two boards go together. It was then decided that it would be best if we got the 14 and 5 acre enclosures working and the bachelor boys will just have to remain inside until the new boards arrive. The blown boards where then DHL to Carl in SA in hopes that Maps are able to repair them as soon as possible and DHL them back to us.

Christmas Eva friends of our arrived with a hawk which they had sadly hit with the vehicle while driving from Lusaka. Fortunately for the bird they had not done any serious damage, and we think the leg and *** were badly bruised. This beautiful bird eats well, though, and showed signs of trying to get out of the cage. Two weeks later Mom opened the door and the hawk flew to freedom. It is always such a joy to watch a bird take to flight after recovering from an injury.

Two days after Christmas, our friend, Jamie Holt, received a young Vervet, same as the last one. Its mother had been killed and the baby sold on the streets of Chingola. Jamie took the infant away from the locals, and brought it here to Chimfunshi, where we named it “Buddy.” Buddy was not keen to be handled by humans, though; he just wanted out of his cage. One morning, Mom was leaning into the cage when little Buddy managed to run over Mom's back and out of the cage. Mom was in tears as this little chap sat on top of the parrot cage looking around at the big trees and no one to guide him. Mom called out in vain, and she was feeling so guilty that he would be alone for his first night out. Then the most wonderful thing happened. Our wild Yellow baboon arrived with his Vervet female friend and her baby, Buddy slowly walked up to the little Vervet and his mother, but the mother pushed Buddy away. He cried out and just sat near by. Meanwhile, her baby had started to play with young Buddy, and it was wonderful to watch. After some time Buddy once again approached the female Vervet, only this time he stuck his little head near her ***. She lifted her arm and let Buddy suckle from her, but only for a few minutes. Watching this brought tears to Mom’s eyes, as she now felt better knowing that little Buddy had someone to watch over him – better yet, he had a playmate his own size. Every day since Buddy escaped, we see him and his new a found family hanging around the food shed.

Ending this newsletter off on a wonderful note, may we wish you all a fruitful and successful 2009!

Love,

Sylvia

Chimfunshi Website Offers New Adoptions

Administrator — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:50:00 GMT

Five new chimpanzees available for adoption – including a trio that were rescued together from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2004 – and an updated page of chimpanzee residents are among the recent changes to the website of the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage.

Chimfunshi’s website can be reached at www.chimfunshi.org.za.

The Chimfunshi website also includes a new on-line donation option, whereby supporters can make any contribution they wish via PayPal. Previously, Chimfunshi donors were limited to pre-set amounts.

Chimfunshi is one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world, and recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary. More than 130 chimpanzees have found care and protection at Chimfunshi since it was created by David and Sheila Siddle on their cattle ranch in central Zambia in 1983.

Among the chimpanzees now available for adoption are Karla, Hans, and Bili, three infants that were confiscated from illegal traders in northern DR Congo in 2004. All three were weak and malnourished upon arrival, and it was feared Karla might not survive. Hans, meanwhile, had lost an eye, presumably as a result of his capture.

Other newcomers include Cindy, who survived a harrowing three-day ordeal in a cage with a dead companion in Cote d’Ivoire before her rescue, and Alice, who spent several years as a tourist attraction at a restaurant in Cote d’Ivoire.

Chimpanzees at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage can be “adopted” for $100 per year. The care and custody of the chimpanzees remains with Chimfunshi, but the pride and satisfaction of contributing to their rehabilitation remain with the donor.

For more information, please visit www.chimfunshi.org.za or contact ChimfunshiUSA@aol.com.

Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Newsletter - November 2008‏

Administrator — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:53:00 GMT

It all begins with the first rain shower. From the dry, barren areas to the fresh shades of green and the smell of clean air! The dry October heat pounds off the dusty dirt roads, the trees and open flood plains wilt under the sun’s rays. Then, there in the far distance, the early rain clouds gather, the sounds of thunder echo across the skies, the odd lightening flashes can be seen. Even the chimpanzees are feeling the heat as they lay around in shady spots watching and waiting for the rain. Finally, it happens. Dark clouds surround us, people are running for shelter, only a few of the brave chimpanzees sit out in the open waiting to feel the first drops. Before we know it, the heavy rain drops are beating down on the tin roof of the house.

Hours later, there is a new smell in the air as the rain has settled in the dust and patches of puddle appear on the ground around us!

Normally in the month of November we do not have much rain but this year it started off well on November 1st, and by the end of the month, Dad's old rain gauge had recorded 776mls (30.5 inches).

Why is the grass always greener on the other side?

Dominic was busy preparing the midday meal for the chimpanzees recently when Misheck, a new member of the staff, looked up from counting out bush oranges and noticed three chimpanzees -- Alice, Cindy and DeeDee -- playing in my back garden. Alarmed, he called out to Dominic "There are chimpanzees playing in the garden." Dominic, of course, did not believe him as he was sure that he was watching the wild vervet monkeys in the trees. But seeing the shocked look on Misheck’s face, Dominic thought it would be best if he checked anyway. On walking out of the food store room he came face to face with Gus, then Toto carrying Dominique on his back, with Sims holding onto Toto's rear -- just four of the 13 chimpanzees that had made an escape .

"I shouted, ‘Chimpanzees are out!’ Dominic said. “Looking straight at Toto, I then shouted in Bemba, ‘Eewee-Eewee," and began to the threaten them all with the stick I was carrying. Sims, our hand-reared youngest, thought I was playing and he approached me all puffed up, ready for a game. Meanwhile, Toto knew this was no game as he hooted and panted out to the other chimpanzees, and being the leader of this group, all the chimpanzees stayed closed to him. Gus, the closest to Toto, puffed himself up and came rushing towards me and tried to bite, as if to try and protect the leader. I called his name, so he returned to Toto's side.

Bili get Serious

”It was then that Toto picked a handful of sand from the ground and threw it at me. Meanwhile, the younger chimpanzees still remained behind Toto, not knowing what to do. Having worked with chimpanzees for 15 years I knew the worst thing to do now was panic, so instead I once again called out "Eewee-Eewee" in a stronger voice. My challenge meant nothing to the chimpanzees, but it was then that Bili saw his chance to challenge me. He approached me all blown up and I knew it was time to call for back-up. Calling out to the other workers to come to my aid, Misheck was the first one to come to my side. Having watched me call out "Eewee-Eewee" he thought he would follow in my foot steps by calling out the same to Bili (pictured below). Much to all our surprise, Bili did not like this and rushed over to Misheck and pushed him over. Dominique then shouted at Bili who knew he had done wrong so he climbed up the nearest tree.

“Meanwhile Madonna, Karla and Hans had wandered away from Toto's side and were heading back to the open door of the enclosure. Once inside, I managed to close the door and move the three chimpanzees into the night cages. At last three where locked inside - just another 10 to bribe back into the night cages. Toto was unsure of what to do now that his followers had left his side, but little Dominique still remained seated on Toto's back while Sims stood next to Toto. “Grabbing a handful of peanuts and biscuits I walked towards one of the night cages and opened the door. Toto was only too happy to follow me, knowing he was going to get the reward. My plan worked and they all followed me. It was not long before the three of them where safely locked inside the night cage. Cindy, Alice and DeeDee were not that easy to convince but after what seemed like ages they thought it was OK and went inside too. Bili could be seeing playing once again on the verandah, but when I called his name he rushed over and greeted me like a long lost friend, and then greeted Misheck and the rest of the staff with soft panting noises.’”

Once everything was back to normal I asked Dominic how the chimpanzees had gotten out. It turns out Alice had managed to stick her fingers through the very small grid wire on the enclosure and slowly, slowly play with the lock between her fingers until she managed to break it, knocking the other pins out. It surely took some time but she had the patience.

Nick the vervet

On Sunday, November 30, Andrew went to greet the visitors who had just arrived, only to find them carrying a very small box. He could clearly hear the cries of a baby vervet monkey. The visitors asked if Sheila Siddle was available so Andrew brought them straight to the house. Peering through the opening of the box, all Mom could see were two wide, frightened eyes peering back at her. Weighting less than a kilo (2.2 pounds), Mom took the baby infant into her hands. The poor little creature was nothing but skin and bones, but holding it close to her chest the infant just held on as if he knew it was going to be safe. We do not know the full story except that one of our friends, Nick O’Connor, had taken the baby away from someone that was mistreating it, and that Nick had spent many hours with the infant to keep it alive.

On examining the vervet, Mom found that the lower part of its tummy was raw, proof of where a rope had been tied, ripping the skin away. It was not long before little "Nick" – as we came to call him -- had fallen asleep in Mom's arms. Nick has been with us for two weeks now. It has not been easy with this little guy as he is a picky eater, the first day all he would eat was a wild fruit called “msuku.” Then for a few days he hardly ate except for bits of apple; he just seemed to be too weak to have much interest. He is still not too interested in drinking milk, but we have found that sweet corn is one of his favorites. At evening time he becomes very demanding, as he hates to sit in his sky crate for the night and cries until one of us take him out. At this young age he already has the humans running around him. But each day we can see signs that Nick is on the road to recovery. We have even noticed that his tummy seems to have a bit more skin on it the last few days.

No day is the same here at Chimfunshi. Each day is a new challenge and somehow I do not think we would have made it through the difficult times if it was not for the support you have all given us over the years. We would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

With only a few weeks before Christmas we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. For those of you who will be traveling on busy country roads may we ask that you drive with care.

Hoots and Pants from us all here at Chimfunshi.

Love,
Sylvia Jones

Chimfunshi Funding Appeal

Administrator — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:58:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

The Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage was founded 25 years ago in Zambia, when a wildlife ranger brought a badly injured baby chimpanzee to the cattle farm of David and Sheila Siddle. That chimpanzee – nicknamed “Pal” – recovered as a result of the Siddles’ love and care, and set in motion a chain of events that ultimately saw Chimfunshi become one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world and a pioneer in the field of captive care and management.

Many of you have visited Chimfunshi and fallen under its spell; others have read Sheila Siddle’s autobiography, In My Family Tree: A Life with Chimpanzees and made the connection, or seen programs about the sanctuary on television. Either way, Chimfunshi is indeed a magical place.

But Chimfunshi’s success has brought new and difficult challenges. Over 120 chimpanzees now reside permanently at Chimfunshi, and the cost of feeding so many – not to mention the staff salaries and operating expenditures – has pushed the sanctuary to the brink. David Siddle’s death in 2006 has left a void that is hard to fill, and the current world economic crisis has caused Zambia’s rate of inflation to rise to 15.2 percent, three times the world average. The copper industry that fuels the region is bracing for difficult times ahead, and tourism in the area has waned.

Chimfunshi is desperately in need of funds to maintain operations at the sanctuary, and we are appealing for your help.

The Chimfunshi directors are seeking to raise immediate funds between now and the end of 2008 to pay for food and medicine for the chimpanzees, staff salaries, and cover essential operating costs. We are also working to acquire a vehicle, as breakdowns have left only one truck operational on the entire 24,000-acre Chimfunshi property.

Chimfunshi is proud of the role it has played in raising awareness and concern on behalf of chimpanzees, and the sanctuary has been a bulwark against bushmeat and the illegal trade for over two decades. Chimfunshi also has many exciting plans for education and outreach programs in the future. We are asking for your help to permit this important work to continue.

Thank you.

The Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage

To support Chimfunshi, please donate through one of the mans listed below:

Credit card

www.chimfunshi.org.za

Click “How You Can Help”

Bank transfer

Bank: Standard Chartered Bank Zambia
Account Name: Chimfunshi Wildlife Trust Orphanage
Account number: US 87002 11451900
Branch code: 060336
SWIFT code: SCBLZMLY

Check
Chimfunshi-USA

P.O. Box 5873
Boston, MA 02114

United States

Chimfunshi –Germany
Postfach 80 06 72
Rungedamm 35
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The Unnerving Delight of Sharing a Lawn with a Full-Grown Female Hippo

Administrator — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:08:00 GMT

I have seen many strange sights in my travels around Africa. Once in Kenya’s Aberdare Mountains, I chanced across a pure black, melanistic leopard. It melted into the mist before I could raise my camera.

In the vast desert wastes that have to be traversed to get to Kenya’s Lake Turkana, we often encountered Samburu and Turkana tribespeople walking naked through the desert in the midday sun miles from anywhere. Sometimes they would have a blanket loosely draped over one shoulder, perhaps a small leather apron, seldom would they have any footwear.

One young girl of about 10 flagged us down two hours out of Loiyangalani. She was walking with her grandfather. She asked for water and for a lift to Loiyangalani. We gave them water, then explained they could sit on the roof as there was no room below in our two-seater Land Rover. They climbed up, the old man's penis flapping from side to side. He sat down with it resting extended on the top of a baking hot metal trunk. He seemed not to notice, and we felt it might be impolite to point out his obvious pain, so left it at that and drove north.

There have been many other strange sights: flies on Lake Victoria forming clouds so dense it became hard to breathe; bicycles carrying anything from live pigs to motor bikes; exploding balls of fire from an electrical storm; a wall of water three metres high moving down a dry river bed in the Namib Desert after a cloudburst way over the horizon; in Malawi, I have seen elephants swimming the Shire River, with nothing but the tips of their trunks visible as they used them as snorkels.

But there was little that could prepare us for the sight that greeted us when we drove up to the main farm house at Chimfunshi between Solwezi and Chingola just where Zambia meets the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the upper reaches of the Kafue River. A one ton hippo lay snoozing outside the kitchen while a peacock paraded in front of her, fanning its tail to attract the attention of the peahen pecking in front of the hippo’s nose.

Every now and then, the hippo would open one jaundiced eye, peer at the peacock and at us, and then doze off again. This was somewhat alarming, as it is a well-documented fact that hippos are the meanest, nastiest and most dangerous creatures on the African continent.

A tiny woman emerged from the farm house. This is Sheila Siddle, who at just on five feet tall, was only a fraction taller than my nine-year-old daughter. Billy the hippo was brought to Sheila and her late husband, David, 16 years ago. She had been discovered as a 10-day-old baby by game rangers who found her on the banks of the Kafue under the body of her mother, who had been speared to death by poachers.

By then, David and Sheila’s cattle farm had gained something of a reputation for being a haven for orphaned wildlife since a severely wounded chimpanzee, who they were to nickname “Pal”, was brought to them in 1983. And, like Topsy (and Billy), it all just grew and grew, until today the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage is home to 124 chimpanzees from all over the world, more than a dozen rescued African grey parrots, an orphaned dik dik and assorted other species of small game.

Two 250 hectare, one 75ha and one 125ha enclosures have been set aside to give the chimps as wild a life as possible, although they will more than likely never go back into the bush - some have been rescued from zoos and circuses, others from bush meat traders, and few have any bush experience.

But Billy - she was named after one of her rescuers before they’d worked out her sex - can’t get used to the fact that she is now all grown up and a menace to society. She spent the first few years of her life sleeping on the Siddle’s leather couch, eventually destroying it completely. Now Sheila has had to barricade every door into the house to stop Billy from moving in at night and cuddling up to her.

“It’s such a shame, she is so lonely because the poachers have shot out all the hippo in this section of the river, so she wants human company, but she is still a wild animal, and unpredictable, so we have to be damn careful.”

And that, for me, will always be one of my most enduring, and endearing, memories of our magical month in Zambia: driving out of Chimfunshi, diminutive Sheila and her only slightly taller daughter Sylvia, waving goodbye as Billy the hippo snored on the grass, Ozzy the vervet monkey perched on Sheila’s shoulder, and a cacophany of chimpanzees echoed through the bushveld air.

Article by Tony Weaver. Cape Times. August 15, 2008

Chimfunshi Transfers 13 Chimpanzees To 75-Acre Enclosure

Administrator — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:18:00 GMT

The Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage continued its commitment to providing orphaned chimpanzees a “virtual” wild experience when it transferred a group of 13 to a new enclosure that covers 75 acres of forests and grassland in central Zambia.

The transfer now means that 99 of the 123 chimpanzees at Chimfunshi are living in vast, free-range enclosures that cover over 1,200 acres at the sanctuary. Chimfunshi’s enclosures are the largest area ever set aside for captive chimpanzees.

Chimfunshi is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2008, and is one of the oldest and largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world. Founded by David and Sheila Siddle on their cattle farm in Zambia in 1983, Chimfunshi went on to pioneer many of the protocols, designs and techniques considered standard at sanctuaries today.

Dr. Bruce Peck, a veterinarian from South Africa who has assisted in several chimpanzee projects at Chimfunshi, was brought in from South Africa to oversee the latest transfer, which was conducted on June 13.

Among the chimpanzees shifted to the new enclosure are Julie, a 14-year old female that had been one of the last animals in a private zoo in Qatar when she arrived in 2001; Commando, an eight-year old male that had been rescued as an infant in 2002 from the Central African Republic, where poachers had broken his jaw; and Kathy and Val, a pair of infants that were confiscated from smugglers attempting to bring them illegally into Qatar in 2001.

The chimpanzees were anesthetized for the move and transported from their old five-acre enclosure to the new site by truck. After being allowed to rest and recover in their indoor handling facilities for 24 hours, the chimpanzees were released into the enclosure and enticed to explore by shelled peanuts scattered through the underbrush by the staff.

For more information, please visit www.chimfunshi.org.za or contact ChimfunshiUSA@aol.com.
Chimfunshi-USA
P.O. Box 5873
Boston MA 02114
www.chimfunshi.org.za

Chimfunshi Unveils 25th Anniversary Logo, Merchandise

Administrator — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:40:00 GMT

The Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage will mark its 25th anniversary with a special logo and merchandise designed to commemorate a milestone of one of Africa’s most successful chimpanzee sanctuaries.

Chimfunshi was founded in 1983 when a dying infant chimpanzee was brought to the cattle farm of David and Sheila Siddle in Zambia. The Siddles nursed that chimpanzee – nicknamed “Pal” – back to life, and eventually came to care for over 125 orphaned chimpanzees.

The Chimfunshi 25th Anniversary logo depicts Pal as he looks today, along with the Chimfunshi emblem and a stylized “25.” The new logo is available on t-shirts, buttons and stickers at the Chimfunshi website at www.chimfunshi.org.za.

The 25th anniversary logo (pictured above) was designed by Haley Newberg, a graphic artist whose company, Wildlife & Whimsy, creates artwork for wildlife organizations from its headquarters in Missoula, Montana, USA. A former keeper at the Sequoia Park Zoo in California, Newberg became aware of Chimfunshi when she met Chimfunshi educator Sylvia Jones at the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) 2005 Conservation Education course in Sacramento, California.

Chimfunshi is one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world, and pioneered many of the designs and practices used routinely in other sanctuaries today. Chimfunshi is also a charter member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA).

For more information, please visit www.chimfunshi.org.za or contact ChimfunshiUSA@aol.com.

PASA Siddle-Marsden Award Will Honour African Staff

Administrator — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:52:00 GMT

Seeking to honor Africa’s next generation of wildlife leaders, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) today announced the creation of the PASA Siddle-Marsden Award, which will be given annually to the PASA sanctuary staff member that best exemplifies a commitment to primates, a commitment to conservation, and a commitment to excellence. Only African national staff members at PASA sanctuaries are eligible for the award, which includes a plaque and a $250 USD prize. Each PASA sanctuary may nominate one staff member. The inaugural PASA Siddle-Marsden Award will be given at the PASA 2008 Management Workshop, which will be staged April 2-4 in Sierra Leone. The PASA award is named for sanctuary pioneers David Siddle and Stella Brewer Marsden, both of whom passed away in recent months. Siddle joined with his wife, Sheila Siddle, to create the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia in 1983, while Marsden established the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Association in Gambia nine years earlier. The two sanctuaries rank among the oldest permanent conservation projects in Africa. “PASA is pleased to be able to honor the incredibly dedicated men and women who work to repair the shattered lives of so many chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, drills and monkeys,” said Doug Cress, executive director of PASA. “The PASA Siddle-Marsden Award allows us to highlight both our past and our future.”

Chimfunshi and the CRA are both charter members of PASA, the organization that was formed in 2000 to unite the sanctuaries that care for thousands of endangered primates across Africa. For more information, please visit www.pasaprimates.org or contact PASapes@aol.com.