Preparing for Departure

With only a few days to go until I fly to Johannesburg, it seems appropriate that my blog start with news of a birth.

Just a few days ago, Nina, a 9 year old chimp at Chimp Eden, gave birth to a baby boy. For those of you who used to watch the Chimp Eden documentary on Animal Planet, Nina was one of five young chimps rescued from bushmeat hunters in South Sudan. After some time at a safe house in the Sudan, they eventually went to live at Chimp Eden. Although the sanctuary has a strict non-breeding policy, the contraceptive implant in Nina failed. Since she had a traumatic childhood herself and was very young at the time of pregnancy (the typical age is from 15 on), it was uncertain whether she would accept the baby. A live webcam was placed in her enclosure and is still available for watching at the Chimp Eden site. Fortunately, when she gave birth, her chimp instincts kicked in and mother and son seem to be doing well.

And so we come to my trip. I have been posting over at Wandering Fi about vaccinations and other preparations. While I am away, internet access will be sparse, but I am hoping that once a week I will be able to send posts and pics to Nic, who can then upload them here. I will send a broader update post for Wandering Fi, but this will be where you can read more detailed posts.

My first three weeks after I arrive will be spent with International Primate Rescue. They focus mainly on smaller primates and have a lively collection of lemurs, macaques, marmosets, and more. From there, I'll head up to Nelspruit for my final week. Due to management changes at Chimp Eden, their new volunteer program is not yet in place so I will be staying in a hostel at the edge of town, next to a rather large bird and wildlife reserve. Although not volunteering at Chimp Eden, I will be visiting there, as well as Kruger National Park, and some other nearby sanctuaries.

So there you have my plans. Four weeks of monkey fun and a dream coming true. Thank you all for helping to support my goals. And a particular thank you to Nic, my mum, and my sister Jo for putting this all in motion to begin with. An additional thank you to Brandon and Kaela and the kids at Nonington Primary School who decided to hold a tombola at their Christmas fair to contribute.

Stay tuned....