Born Free

Category: Born Free | Date: Apr 28 2009 | By: bornfree

Born Free has two sanctuaries situated on Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Both these sanctuaries have fully equipped education centres. Our education program has been running since 1999 with the opening of our first sanctuary the Julie Ward Centre. We work closely with schools from across the country and with our local communities. Our education program gives children an opportunity to learn about Born Free and its principals and to see the amazing wildlife of the Eastern Cape roaming free on Shamwari. Through the Born Free Global Friends Campaign and corporate sponsorship we are able to help five schools in close vicinity to the sanctuaries with much needed equipment and infrastructure.  With our community projects we hope to empower people by giving them necessary skills to generate income and we are currently training locals from Paterson as field guides.

Education is very important to us as it is the only way that beautiful animals like the ones we have in our sanctuaries will stop ending up in the conditions in which they are found. All the rescued lions and leopards at our sanctuaries are ambassadors for other captive wild animals living in horrific conditions. Born Free/Shamwari has a very dedicated and dynamic education team who works closely with the animal care team and often assists with the care of the animals.

Christine Le Roux, Education Manager
My name is Christine Le Roux and I truly am the luckiest person alive as everyday from 8am to 5pm I get to live out my dream. Environmental Education is my biggest passion and I am so privileged to have a job that allows me to live out this passion each day. It is great working for an organization such as Born Free which allows me to make a difference in the world.

 My duties include the running of the education program and I am responsible for ensuring that a valid conservation educational experience is offered to all students and that sustainable community projects are run. I am also in charge of the Global Friends Campaign in South Africa and I approach companies for additional sponsorship for the schools as we have to share our funds with five schools.

This year is very exciting for me as in April I will have officially been working for BFF/Shamwari for a year. I will also be starting with a project that very close to my heart known as Eco-Schools. Eco-Schools is an international program that encourages schools to live sustainably, manage resources wisely and improve environmental management. It incorporates environmental learning with the school curriculum. Each of the schools will choose one of the five themes (Healthy Living, Resource Management, Nature and Biodiversity, Heritage and Culture or Local and Global Issues). They then have to do a project and lesson plans relating to the theme. For more info on Eco-Schools visit there website at: www.wessa.org.za/eduecoschools.asp

I will be updating you all on our blog with all the fun and exciting things our education department gets up to!

Matthews Dingaan, Education Assistant Julie Ward Centre
My name is Matthews Dingaan and I am the newest addition to the Born Free Shamwari Education Team. I love being outdoors working with children, teaching them about conservation and why wild animals should be kept in the wild.  I like helping out with the animal care team as that way I get to care for the animals which is also a great passion of mine. I am happy to be part of the team and I look forward to influencing the lives children in a positive way.

Sidney Clay, Animal Care Assistant
My name is Sidney Clay and I have been working for Born Free/Shamwari for over 6 years now. Until very recently I was involved in the Education Department but felt that I needed a change in focus after such a long time. Education still remains very close to my heart and I help out with the education team where ever I can. I have been living in the Paterson community for many years and I am well known by the people. Because I am part of the community and have a great understanding of how think and work I act as the community liaison for the Born Free/Shamwari team.

For more information on the work Born Free undertakes rescuing big cats from horrific conditions in zoos and circuses, please click here

Tags: big cats, education, rescue, Shamwari

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Category: Born Free, Lilongwe Wildlife Centre | Date: Apr 20 2009 | By: bornfree

A big thank you to all those of you that have followed and commented on the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre blog in recent weeks. It makes such a difference to receive your feedback!

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Category: Born Free, Lilongwe Wildlife Centre | Date: Apr 14 2009 | By: bornfree

In August 2006, I arrived at a Catholic Mission 3 hours drive from Lilongwe, in a small area of Malawi called Mua, my purpose of being there was to find a small menagerie of animals that were reportedly being housed in small dilapidated cages.  It was not long before I stumbled across the sad array of animals within the zoo; it contained an extremely obese baboon, an attention-seeking blue monkey, a terrified porcupine, a sad looking crocodile (as sad as a crocodile can look!!), pythons in a deep dark pit and a variety of small antelope and birds of prey. Although extremely depressing to see, all the animals had been rescued by the founder of the Mua Mission Cultural Centre, Father Bouche, who had arrived at the Mission in the mid 70’s and had accepted many wild orphaned animals in over the years, out of pity.  They had all been victims of the illegal bushmeat and pet trades in and around his area.   

When visiting the Mission for the first time, it was always obvious where Father Bouche’s passion and talents lie; the Cultural Centre, its dancers, its carvings, a small lodge and now recently opened Museum are impressive to say the least; they are a true testament to the diversity of Malawi’s tourism potential, a true gem of an attraction for both local and international visitors.  And so, over the past two years the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre and the Mission have been discussing ways in which the zoo could be dismantled, the animals relocated to the Wildlife Centre and the zoo replaced with a new facility; a facility that would not require animals in captivity, that would complement the cultural centre and its educational activities and that would provide a tranquil environment in which locals and tourists could explore and learn about cultural, wildlife and environmental links. 

After many visits to Mua, my visit two weeks ago was by far the most enjoyable.  Travelling to Mua with two boxes was one thing, travelling home with two boxes and two successfully darted animals was another, our baboon and blue monkey had taken their first steps back to a more ‘wild’ life.  First stop, Lilongwe, where they would be placed in quarantine and later introduced to large open topped enclosures with their own kind. 

But for our yellow baboon, Aide, there was a special treat in store.  Two days prior to the Mua rescue the Centre had rescued a young baboon called Chimpy (yes Chimpy!!) who was being kept on a two metre length of chain at a private residence within Lilongwe.  After a lonely existence on her own for many years, Aide would now spend quarantine and possibly the rest of her life with her new baboon friend, Chimpy.

This relocation of just two animals from the Mission to the Centre, marks the first step in a transitional process that will see all the animals removed from Mua and the zoo replaced with an alternative attraction for both local Malawian and International visitors.  A process that will require funding.  The Born Free Foundation have once again stepped in and have agreed to fund the relocation of the animals and committed funds to the development of a ‘Sensory Garden’ within the existing grounds of the Cultural Centre. Financial support has also been provided by Body Shop that has allowed the Centre to build two new enclosures at the Centre which will enable the centre to rescue some of the remaining birds of prey and porcupine. 

Thank you to both Born Free and Body Shop for helping to make this first (and future) rescue/s happen.

Lee Stewart
Operations and Development Manager

Tags: baboon, blue monkey, Born Free, Lilongwe, rescue

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