CARE
Liz's Notes History Support Activities Future
After doing my National Diploma in Nature Conservation (1997), I had to complete a practical year. I chose the Kruger National Park and worked in Skukuza as a 'Jeep Jockey'. My lecturers knew how passionate I am about animals and when CARE approached the Technikon for Nature Conservation student volunteers, they knew I would want to work there. I drove up to Phalaborwa from Skukuza for my interview. When I arrived, I had to put my car in a cage, so the 'Long Tits' (troop of wild baboons that hang around the Centre) didn't tear it apart. I was liking this place already. I went inside to meet owner/founder, Rita Miljo who had a tiny 'pink face' (infant baboon) stuck to her hip. As we sat down for the Q & A, the little guy jumped out of Rita's lap and came to me. I had no previous contact experience, but there was this curious little kid wanting to play. So we did, and we tickled and we laughed. I think that's what got me my first volunteer job. Rita always said, she judges people by what the baboons think of them. It is rare for such a young baby to approach strangers.
Working at CARE was a full day of hard, physical labour, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Baboons are so intelligent and adaptable which is probably why they range over most habitats in Africa.
Rita Miljo established CARE in 1989. She had wanted to own a little piece of paradise in Africa, and bought a plot of land next to the Olifants River about 30 kms away from Phalaborwa. Someone brought and orphaned infant baboon called 'Bobby' and that, in essence, was the beginning of CARE. Rita's approach was that people tend to only conserve animals when they become endangered or threatened. The baboons in South Africa are classified as 'vermin' and farmers have traditionally just shot them. Their numbers are also decreasing due to the demand for laboratory test subjects. Baboons need help just as much as the whales or the rhinos.
In 2000, IFAW joined CARE as a trustee and funder. The Centre has a volunteer programme too. The funds generated from these and other fundraising activities allows CARE to continue its' operations. Check out the website for volunteering opportunities and ways to support, as well as the brilliant photographs!
CARE began with an idea to rehabilitate animals, i.e. return them to their natural habitats. Baboons are one species that are relatively easy to re-introduce because of their adaptability. There were a number of Nature Reserves and Conservancies that wanted troops of baboons because their populations had been reduced by various reasons (farmers, habitat loss etc.) over the years. The Department of Nature Conservation in South Africa refused the transport permits on the basis that there were different sub-species of the chacma baboon and interprovincial movement was prohibited. The real reason was that the Department was not willing to take the responsibility of approving the release of 'vermin' anywhere near to farmlands.
When baboons come to CARE (usually as orphaned infants), they are put together in similar age groups of up to about 20 per group. When they are about 4 - 5 years of age and the females have had their first round of babies, the troop is bonded and ready to be re-introduced. The operational costs for feeding and caring for in excess of the baboons is high and their numbers increase every year.Please visit CARE's webpage: www.primatecare.org.za for more information
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