Our 22-strong troop of baboons are set to be released in mid January and any help would be very gratefully received! It’s not easy to get baboons ready for the wild, and a great deal of preparation has taken place over the last year, not to mention the effort we will be carrying out post release. Find out more about this years release project here.
For just $30/£20 you can sponsor some of our biggest personalities below to help us with the ever-growing costs involved in such a vital and exciting part of our rehabilitation programme. If you would like to sponsor any of our release group please make your payment using the PayPal link below and email kat@lilongwewildlife.org – we’ll send you a thank you certificate within 2 working days and keep you updated with their progress.
Here are just a few of the characters…
John
Being the alpha-male in the troop, John has a lot of responsibility; the stability of the group relies on him. He handles his leadership with great patience and only uses his power when he needs to. He’s a gentle giant and a great dad to Tosca, the baby of the group. He’s still a big kid at heart, which shines through when he babysits Tosca, keeping her entertained with his playful charm. He’s recently recovered from some lip surgery, performed by our on-site vet, after getting into a scrap with one of the other males.
Wendy & Tosca
Wendy is the alpha-female of the troop and she and John share a close bond and make a great team. She often gets a good grooming session from the other females in the group. We have a non-breeding policy at the Centre but in preparation for release the contraception is removed, and as a result Wendy and John had little Tosca back in August. She is the only mother of the group so far, and is great with Tosca; she’s not overly protective so Tosca is getting to make friends with the others and become quite independent. Tosca is building up her social skills wonderfully and is extremely playful with everyone in the group.
Alf
Alf gets top points for his playful temperament and has won over the entire troop. He’s everybody’s friend and just loves to mess around in a goofy, yet inquisitive way. However, he has also been known to take it a bit too far at times… and ends up annoying some of the more serious characters! But surprisingly, despite his youthful nature he proved vigilant and alert during the predator awareness training. He’s small for his age (4 years old) but he looks cute as a button and we’re sure he’ll soon grow into his rather big ears!
Bruiser
Bruiser has a very contemplative disposition, watching the chaos that’s often around him in a thoughtful manner. He’s third in line for the leadership post but is proving to be very smart and shrewd, so we might start to see some competition over the next few months. He’s smitten with the younger baboons and loves to play with them and take them under his wing. But he gives the juveniles a harder time, chasing and teasing them regularly!
Jilly
Jilly is an extremely social character but her favourites of the group are Nkhata and Michelle, whom she’s not often seen without. She’s excellent with the juveniles and still plays with them regularly, giving them much needed attention. Jilly is currently pregnant so we are expecting to see another little one in about three months’ time, once she’s in Kusungu.
Thank you, we will aim to complete your certificate within two working days