Chipangali - hope for Zimbabwe's wildlife
Source: The Zimbabwe Guardian
Date: 24 September 2007
Author: Dyke Sithole
The extent some wildlife conservationists in this world care for or have passion in nature is really amazing.
With the ever rising high costs in Zimbabwe today, who can afford to spend his or her entire life savings on an non profitable wildlife savings institution which simply takers care of sick, abandoned and injured wild life species before releasing them back on the wild upon healing?
It only takes extremists in wild life conservation such as Viv Wilson, the founder and owner of Chipangali wildlife orphanage; a wildlife rehabilitation center located about 20 kilometers outside Bulawayo. According to Kevin, Wilson's son who is also the rehabilitation centre's director h is father's main objective in setting up Chipangali in 1973 was first and foremost to take care of abandoned, unwanted and injured wildlife animals.
The idea came to Wilson when he was the director of National Museum In Bulawayo.
When my father used to work for the museum, a lot of people came to him with a lot of disabled, injured and abandoned wildlife till the number became over-whelming. He then decided to quit employment and set up Chipangali with all his own personal savings, said Kevin.
The orphanage is currently home to more than 200 individuals of a wide range of species including mammals, reptiles and a variety of bird species. Smaller mammals such as vervet monkeys and baboons arrive at the center with monotonous regularity often nursing deep wounds from snares or road accidents. Injured wild animals often pose less of a problem than those reared in captivity.
Most of the wildlife injuries at the orphanage have been attributed to road accidents, accidental flying into building and power lines, snares and veld fire.
When we receive injured wild animals, we try to treat the animals with medication. When the animals have recuperated, we release them back into the wild provided the animal or animals safety back in the bush is guaranteed, explained Kevin.
He stressed that before animals are released back into the bush, they are gradually phased out and monitored for months at the centre.
Normally , when a wild animal is in captivity it is taught to forage in its enclosure for natural food stuffs carefully scattered or concealed. Now when you release the animal into the wilderness you need to adequately prepare for its new natural life in the bush before you release it, he said.
Recently, the institution releases 13 monkeys into the Hwange National Park. Over the past three years Chipangali has also released two leopards, 15 cheetahs and over 25 baboons into the national park. He pointed out that the only wild animals that the the rehabilitation center has not released into the wild since its inception are lions because of their aggressive and vicious character.
You can never release lions into the wild. Lions naturally are vicious animal which no matter how imbued with an antipathy they have towards humans, they can always forget and turn against their saviours, he said.
The center currently has more than 25 lions in captivity and seven black rhinos. Some animals and birds like Tawny, the eagle whose left wing was ripped off, and Porky the abandoned warthog, remain at Chipangali and are cared for during the rest of their natural lives. Kevin said it is dangerous to release an animal into the bush where there are already other families.
For the sake of continuity of life and protection of each other from natural animals and predators, we normally recommend block release so that the released animals can start their own family and quickly adjust to wildlife, he added.
The existence of the center, not only the first of its kind in the country but in Africa, has also opened up several further opportunities. Chipangali has its own lecture building and visuals aids center, the Diana Princess of Wales Children's Conservation Education Centre where groups of several children can be taught the principles of conservation and even basic wildlife management.
These visits are combined with tours of the 100-acre game park attached to the animal refuge, where several species such as zebras, Kudus and Impalas roam freely. The center also offers state of the art facilities and excellent captive breading nuclei in line with much modern thought and the future conservation of rare and endangered species such rhinos and wild dogs.