Baboon Conservation Work in South Africa

Founded in 1989 by Rita Miljo, The Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education is a dedicated sanctuary for all indigenous wildlife. We are committed to the rescue, care, rehabilitation, release and protection of wild animals. Although the centre has specific expertise in the care of the chacma baboon (papio cynocephalus ursinus), no animal in need is ever turned away.

Based on the fringe of the Kruger National Park in South Africa, CARE currently houses over 600 baboons and is one of the only sanctuaries that gives refuge to orphaned and injured animals. We have an extremely high success rate of releasing hand-reared, fully formed troops back into the wild.

A 'pink face' rescued by CARE

Despite being a ‘threatened’ species, baboons are offered little or no protection under the law in South Africa. They are routinely shot, poisoned, illegally captured for sale as pets, and used by traditional doctors for medicine.

The main intake at the sanctuary are small ‘pink faces’, who are orphaned after their mothers are killed. Older animals have been rescued from traditional doctors who keep the animals chained, and utilise their faeces for “medicinal” purposes. Others have been illegally captured for sale, and confiscated by the authorities.

Our sanctuary area offers refuge to animals released from laboratories – allowing them to grow old with dignity. Often they have been subjected to numerous experiments, and have been incarcerated in small cages which barely allow the animal space to turn around.

Our rehabilitation program has gained much respect within the scientific community and our success in releasing troops has been documented on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planets ‘Growing up….Baboon’. Check out the video clips on http://videos.howstuffworks.com/search.php?terms=growing+up+baboon&media=video

CARE has also been involved in several other high profile events. We have had the first recorded instance of breeding Samango monkeys (a red data listed species) in captivity, assisted in the rescue and relocation of lions destined for canned hunting, and given help with anti-poaching and drought relief efforts in the Olifants River area.

We believe strongly in the preservation of our natural wildlife, and, although the baboon is not a glamorous animal like the rhino or cheetah, contend that it is important to ensure its survival now, before it too joins the mountain gorilla and the chimpanzee as another of Africa’s endangered primates.