BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE WILDLIFE CENTRE
(Project: Wildlife Centre – Rescue & Research) International `news agency Al Jazeera happened to call in to LWT’s Wildlife Centre one morning last month and liked what they saw.ย So they asked for more coffee, a chat and a peak behind the scenes. You can read the full article hereย and see the photos below. […]
(Project: Wildlife Centre – Rescue & Research)
International `news agency Al Jazeera happened to call in to LWT’s Wildlife Centre one morning last month and liked what they saw.ย So they asked for more coffee, a chat and a peak behind the scenes. You can read the full article hereย and see the photos below.
The Lilongwe Wildlife Trust is part sanctuary, part rehabilitation centre, and a potentially spectacular outing for school children. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The sanctuary’s manager, Jasper Lepema, who is from the Netherlands, first joined the centre five-and-a-half years ago as an animal care manager. ‘Every animal has an ear tag, so in an emergency, anyone at the sanctuary would be able to identify the animal,’ he says. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Bella, one of the star attractions at the centre, was rescued from a zoo in Romania where she was abused. She was brought to the trust in 2009. Her hind legs have been deformed and she is missing an eye. The lioness is one of the animals at the trust that cannot be released back into the wild. She is more than 15 years old. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Simba was taken away from his mother when he was six months old, and trained to work in a circus in France. When he was six years old he was left in a trailer by the side of a road. He was subsequently rescued and brought to Lilongwe. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
When animals are brought to the sanctuary, they are kept in quarantine for six weeks. Then they are checked quarterly for diseases and infections. A bacterial infection such as TB can spread very fast in the enclosures and management say they have to be vigilant. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
One of the many vervet monkeys at the centre receiving a full check-up, including a TB test. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Amanda Selb, from Arkansas in the US, has worked at the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust as a vet for the past three years. She also spends much of her time in the field with the Wildlife Emergency Rescue Unit, which rescues, among other animals, elephants and rhinos. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
When animals are too large to bring to the sanctuary, they are assisted in their natural setting. Others, including hyenas, cats and even reptiles are brought in for observation and care. The sanctuary is currently home to Henry the python and a crocodile called Bushdog. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The back end of the sanctuary is meticulously managed. The trust relies on volunteers, who come from across the globe, to assist in feeding, cleaning and general administration. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
This serval kitten is one-and-a-half months old. A couple found it being sold by the side of the road, so they bought it and brought it to the trust. While the trust understands that in some instances immediate action like this is required to save an animal from the pet trade, it strongly advises against buying wild animals. ‘It allows the pet trade system to continue,’ Jasper Lepema says. ‘We ask people to call the authorities instead.’ [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Alma van Dorenmales, the trust’s rescue and rehabilitation manager, explains: ‘The goal is to get them [the animals] back in the wild, and not to become tame, or familiar to human beings.’ The process is so thorough that staff wear masks when handling the animals to reduce the chances of building familiarity. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The sanctuary also hosts a number of antelope. As habitats shrink for wild animals, they often find themselves in conflict with humans. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Many of the animals are orphans and most spend between two to three years at the sanctuary before they are released into the wild. Monkeys are released as a group, while other animals, like owls, are released on their own. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The trust engages in a number of a programmes dealing with environmental education, including wildlife crime, conservation and animal welfare. It encourages school excursions. At least 25,000 schoolchildren visit every year. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]