The Independent on Saturday

Crow needs help to care for orphan infant vervet monkeys

THE Centre for Rehabilita­tion of Wildlife (Crow) has made an impassione­d plea for donations of money and building materials to help build new primate enclosures.

Every “baby season” Crow rescues about 20 or 30 injured or orphaned infant vervet monkeys who stay at the Yellowwood Park centre for a number of years. Their current enclosures need rehabilita­ting.

“These vulnerable infants, unable to feed from their mothers, rely entirely on our dedicated primate nurse who bottle feeds them milk formula throughout their first year. Our vervet monkey programme spans four to five years, guiding the monkeys through four crucial phases of rehabilita­tion,” said Crow’s fund-raising and marketing officer, Denika Govender.

She said their seven primate enclosures were constructe­d from gum poles and mesh wire about 20 years ago but were now deteriorat­ing and needed to be replaced.

Two enclosures have been rebuilt with galvanised metal designed to last a lifetime, with funding from Compass Medical Waste Services, Govender said.

Each enclosure costs R400 000 and Crow wanted to rebuild them before the end of the year to ensure that the latest monkeys can smoothly transition into their final rehabilita­tion stage.

“The final stage is where the monkeys have establishe­d their hierarchie­s, acclimated to the outside world, and experience limited human interactio­n,”

she said. Crow was founded by local conservati­onist Isolde Mellet in 1977 and became the country’s first dedicated wildlife rehabilita­tion centre. It rescues, rehabilita­tes and releases between 3 000 and 4000 injured, orphaned and displaced wild animals each year.

The donations will help pay for equipment, building materials and tools to rebuild and maintain its enclosures to ensure the safety and comfort of the animals in its care, Govender said.

“Every rand raised will directly fund this crucial rebuilding project. Your contributi­on, no matter how small, will significan­tly impact the lives of these vervet monkeys, ensuring they receive the rehabilita­tion they need,” she said.

Govender said the support was essential in helping Crow’s monkeys receive the care and rehabilita­tion they needed to return to the wild in large protected areas far from human settlement­s.

To donate, visit their website at https://crowkzn.co.za/donate/