On the 27th April 2007, amidst sporadic
rain and drizzle saw the opening of the
Special Home for Special Monkeys.
This was the fruition of Touch a Monkeys
Heart Foundations latest project to create
a suitable environment for those elderly
and handicapped primates, which for these
reasons, could not handling living in their
normal environment very well.
Primates from as far a field as Johannesburg,
Cape Town and Durban joined others from
Monkeyland to be released into the new facility.
Above,
the SABC cameraman gets into position for
the release of the first of the primates
into the new facility. SABC presenter Gillian
van Houten is in the left of the picture,
while primate curator Christian Schauerte
sterilizes the feeding platform in preparation
for the arrival of the primates food.
Above,
Gillian and Christian hard at work with
the panting of one of many trees as part
of the opening ceremony.
Above,
Well known actress and model Tanit Phoenix,
opens the first of the traveling boxes for
the release of the first primate in The
Special Home for Special Monkeys.
Altogether
eight primates from all over South Africa
were released into the facility during the
opening ceremony, with many lined-up to
also be released in the near future.
Primate curator Christian Schauerte explained
that all animal facilities throughout the
World have animals which become old and
have difficulty coping with normal situations,
there are also those animals that like humans
that loose part or all of their sight and
need special care. Most institutions are
not geared for this, and as a result The
Special Home for Special Monkeys has come
as a very welcome development for other
facilities who keep captive primates in
South Africa, as they now have somewhere
to send any primates that need special care.
Ironically, most of the primates that arrived
from other institutions were being kept
there in hospital facilities, and have now
been released in to this facility which
incorporates more than a hectare of indigenous
forest, as well as park like areas.
Christian explained that the methodology
at the centre was to keep the primates in
a natural environment so they could be stimulated
by freedom of movement in an area with trees,
fresh air and sunshine, while we keep a
constant eye on them. Christian is one of
the two head curators at Monkeyland, and
the Special Home for Special Monkeys has
its own dedicated Primate Keeper Shane Oosthuizen.
These
images are of the new arrivals cent-marking
the centre and generally just giving it
the once over.
