In January 2013 we released a group of 26 yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus cynocephalus) back into the wild and we were there to guide them every step of the way. The Lilongwe Wildlife Centre (LWC) rescues animals who are orphans and victims of the illegal pet and bushmeat trade, many of which are primates. The centre aims to release these animals wherever possible back into the wild.
For LWC we prepped the release group. This means that we chose the right animals considering survival skills, social interactions and specific male-female ratios that are found in the wild. We trained their survival skills and during the year of prepping, the troop is being studied by us, master students and volunteers.
When relea
sed into Kasungu National Park Malawi we stayed with them to keep them safe, monitor them and do research. It was an exhausting year, especially the first 3 months when we worked 14 hours a day with no days off. This is due to their vulnerability during those first three months which shows in mortality rates in other releases. They need time to form a territory, learn where to find their food and form a strong group. We reduced the time spent with them after that bit by bit, giving them a chance to learn to survive on their own. This yielded in an extremely successful release with 93% survival, young being born and wild males integrating into the group!
They were our family for a while and we were happy and proud to see them succeed.
Primate Adventures 