For the past 20 years the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education (Care) and its director, Rita Miljo, have been rescuing, raising and rehabilitating orphaned chacma baboons. Though baboons are listed as a threatened species, they are still officially labelled “vermin” and are targeted particularly by farmers.
At the centre, situated on the banks of the Olifants River in Limpopo province, young baboons that have been rescued are grouped together, forming new troops that grow up together. The objective of the programme is to release fully independent troops back into the wild once they reach adulthood. This has been successfully achieved several times.
In March 2002, for example, a troop of 17 hand-reared chacma baboons was released into The Dome, an 18 000ha conservancy about 700km away from the centre. All the baboons had been orphaned as babies, usually as a result of their mothers being shot, trapped or poisoned.
The group was monitored for seven months after their release into the wild to observe their behaviour as they explored their new surroundings. Of particular interest was the interaction between the released troop and the resident wild troop at The Dome.
Two of the adult males from the Care group regularly joined up with the wild troop for several days at a time before returning to their home group. Strong bonds developed between the adult members of the Care troop as they presented a consolidated offensive to protect their own group.
Two males from the wild troop “crossed over” and joined the Care group on a permanent basis. With their knowledge of the local terrain, they were able to lead the newcomers to sources of water and food. One of the released females gave birth after the release. Her baby, nicknamed Surprise by the observers, became the centre of attention within the troop.
David van der Merwe, Care’s field officer who coordinated and monitored the release, says: “The release is considered hugely successful as the animals are completely independent of any human support. They source their own food, regularly encounter other wild baboons and have established their own home range with sleeping sites.”
Care was established in 1989 by Rita Miljo as a rehabilitation centre for all indigenous wildlife. It is the oldest wildlife rehabilitation centre in Limpopo.
Now in her 70s, Miljo is still the driving force behind all activities at the centre and is personally involved with each animal brought to the centre.
While no small mammal, raptor, reptile or bird is turned away, the centre has specific expertise in the nurturing and rehabilitation of primates, with the emphasis on chacma baboons.
“I had to travel a hard and obstacle-laden road to survive my fight on behalf of the humble and misunderstood baboon,” she says. “The battle is far from over, but it has become easier because of the successes Care can now show.”
Care is the only facility in Southern Africa that accepts orphaned or abandoned baboons and offers them long-term care, with the ultimate goal of releasing them back to the wild.
The stated objectives of Care are:
– To establish, maintain and manage a centre to actively engage in the welfare, treatment and rehabilitation of injured, orphaned or diseased indigenous wild animals.
– To pursue a policy of rehabilitation and release of animals in accordance with recognised conservation principles.
– To actively and continuously pursue a policy of public awareness education for the preservation of wildlife and the environment.
Despite the fact that babbons are listed as threatened on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), they have little protection under the law and are officially listed as “vermin”. As a result, many arrive at Care after being injured or abused. The main intake is small, pink-faced babies, usually orphaned after their mothers have been shot, poisoned or injured.
Older animals have been rescued from traditional doctors, who keep the animals chained and use their faeces for “medicinal” purposes. Others have been illegally captured for sale to the pharmaceutical industry and confiscated by the authorities.
Care’s sanctuary area offers refuge to animals released from laboratories, allowing them to grow old with dignity. Often they have been subjected to numerous experiments and have been contained in small lab cages barely large enough to allow the animal to turn around.
“Care believes wildlife rehabilitation represents a necessary link between the so-called conservationists and the animal welfare organisations,” says Miljo. “We are dealing with individual animals, not populations in an ecosystem. In line with this, we have been able to rescue several baboons from defunct laboratories and certain, miserable death.”
The centre has pioneered many firsts in primate care and at any time has more than 200 animals in the rehabilitation process. Releases are planned for each summer season.
“Through our work and research, Care is now respected by international primatologists. A steady stream of scientists and students visit Care, not only to see our rehabilitation programme but also to study baboons in the wild,” says Miljo. The baboon cages at Care attract regular visits from wild troops living in the bush surrounding the centre.
While Care’s primary concern is the chacma baboon, it has also succeeded in raising two samango monkeys, an endangered species. The centre can also add the first recorded instance of samango monkeys breeding in captivity to its list of achievements.
Care is a registered non-profit organisation. It receives no government or major corporate support, and is reliant on the generosity of concerned individuals and animal welfare groups to continue its work.
“We believe strongly in the preservation of our natural wildlife, and although the baboon is not considered a ‘glamorous’ animal, contend that it is important to ensure its survival now, before it joins the mountain gorilla and the chimpanzee as another of Africa’s endangered primates,” says Miljo.