Durban — In celebration of International Primate Day, the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (Crow), based in Yellowwood Park, has called for contributions to help build primate enclosures, in their mission to rehabilitate them.
The operations director of Crow, Clint Halkett-Siddall, said that they rescued between 20-30 injured or orphaned baby vervet monkeys, whose rehabilitation took 4-5 years with a few essential stages throughout the programme.
“The final stage is where they are released into a larger enclosure where they develop their troop dynamics and hierarchies before their eventual release back into the wild,” Halkett-Siddall said.
He said that the centre was facing a challenge as seven of their primate enclosures, which were built over two decades ago, were beginning to deteriorate.
They were able to rebuild at least two of them, he said, but urgently pleaded for the rebuilding of at least one for their latest troop.
Halkett-Siddall thanked corporate funding from Compass Medical Waste Services for assisting and rebuilding two enclosures using galvanised metal, creating strong steel structures designed to last a lifetime.
“We urgently need to rebuild the remaining enclosures before the end of the year to ensure our latest monkeys can smoothly transition into their final rehabilitation stage. Without these critical upgrades, we cannot continue their rehabilitation.
“We need your help to raise R400 000 to rebuild the enclosures, which will go to equipment, building materials and tools to build a vital space for the monkeys before their release,” he said.
He concluded that these donations would go a long way to ensure that the monkeys got a second chance of freedom, far from human settlements and in a largely protected area.
To donate, visit givengain.com/campaign/help-crow-rebuild-a-enclosure-for-vervet-monkeys
Monkey Helpline founder Steve Smit said he had no issue with Crow asking for donations.
Smit said: “It costs a lot to run an animal rehabilitation centre, which has to come from public donations as there are no structures from the government (local, provincial and national), except for permitting.”
Smit said that all animal organisations relied on international volunteers who did not like travelling during their summer – from April to September – so they had to rely the public.
International Primate Day, held every year on September 1, is dedicated to saving and protecting primates of all species including chimpanzees, monkeys, orangutans, gorillas and many more.
Animal Defenders International established Primate Day in 2005 with a specific focus on ending experiments on monkeys for disease research.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature says that more than a third of primates are critically endangered or threatened.
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