Helen 🐒
From a scared little orphan who arrived in 2022 after her mum was killed by a dog, to a confident young vervet who’s thriving in Gismo Troop. 🌿
Helen arrived traumatised and unsure of the world around her, often choosing to climb high into the trees when she was scared and struggling to adapt to life without her mum.
Today, she’s a confident young female in Gismo Troop and the best big sister to five younger orphans who joined the troop after her. She’s protective of the babies, grooming them, carrying them around and always keeping a close eye on them. We think she’ll make an amazing foster mum herself one day. 🥹💚
Seeing Helen find her place in the troop, and watching her have such a positive impact on the younger orphans, has been amazing to watch 🫶
Friday Favourites ⭐️ Nora
This week we’re celebrating our wonderful Primate Carer, Angus!
Angus looks after the monkeys in our middle section, but his days involve a whole lot more than just caring for his monkeys. He’s always helping out with rescue drives and vet trips, cooking up incredible foods for the team and making sure his troops are happy, healthly and safe.
We recently revealed our brand-new Lankora enclosure, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Angus putting in so much work behind the scenes, from building fences and strings to adding branches and making sure every part of the enclosure was safe and ready for the troop to return home. 🌿🐒
When asked about his favourite monkey, he chose Nora 🫶
“I’ve always admired and respected how confident and independent Nora is. She spends half her time living amongst the SAAV troop that she grew up in, or escaping to hang out with the bandits outside, coming and going as she pleases, and being fully accepted by both troops.
Her double lives especially came in handy in the aftermath of the old SAAV troop being attacked, as she has been able to live free amongst the bandits during this time, and I really appreciate how she has consistently been showing her old troop-mates support by regularly visiting them in their temporary homes to keep them company and reassure them during this stressful time.
She’s been visiting me a lot while I’ve been rebuilding the old SAAV enclosure into the new Lankora enclosure. Whether it’s out of curiosity, fondness, or simply to supervise and make sure I’m doing a good job, her company has been very much appreciated!
She has an amazing life and personality, and I’m so grateful to have known her here - and to know that her troop members have her in their lives too.” 💚
Thank you Angus for everything you do for the monkeys, from the everyday care to the big projects that help give them the second chances they deserve. 🌿🐒
A few of our favourites from Lankora’s release 📸🐒
Lankora Troop’s release was such a big day for everyone earlier this week, with the whole team getting involved to welcome the troop members back home and introduce Angel & Zouzou to their new family 💚
There was plenty of excitement, exploring, grooming and, of course, lots of happy monkeys back in the trees! 🌳🐒
Here are a few of our favourite photos from the Lankora Troop opening ceremony and release 🥹🫶
Finally Home 🪜🌳🐵
Yesterday was such a special day at the foundation as Lankora Troop finally moved back into their newly rebuilt enclosure! 🥹🌿
Earlier this year, the troop had to be moved out of their enclosure and into Sickbay after storms, floods and years of wear and tear left the fencing unsafe. The enclosure, then named SAAV, had originally been built in 2003, providing a home for rescued laboratory monkeys, but over the years it became home to many other rescued and orphaned vervets as well
After months without their proper home, so much hard work has gone into rebuilding the enclosure and making it safe again.
Long-term supporters Adam & Doug gave the troop its new name, Lankora Troop#####. A huge thank you to Lucas & Angus, along with the countless volunteers and staff, who put so much time and effort into rebuilding the enclosure and making sure the monkeys could finally get their home back. 🫶
Lankora is now home to 10 troop monkeys, including two new additions - Angel & Zouzou, who have now been successfully integrated into the troop. 🐒💚
After everything this troop has been through, seeing them back in the trees was incredibly rewarding. Many of the monkeys had the most excited zoomies, while others spent hours grooming each other, playing on the branches and simply enjoying being home again 🥰
Welcome home, Lankora Troop! 🏡❤️🌳
Tongue Out Tuesday 🐒😝
Whisper from Engeltjie Troop posing for the camera 📸
Whisper arrived at the Foundation as an orphan back in 2012 after being found alone on the roadside. A couple of years ago, she took on raising Coco, Cleo & Paddy as their foster mum and all are thriving!
A pretty full-circle moment for Whisper, like many of our other vervet foster mums 💚
Maddie & Mae 🐵
Our Skrow girls are enjoying life in troop, eating well and loving all the cuddles!
Sal Then vs Now 🐒💚
There are 9 months between these two videos, and the difference is amazing to see. So much has changed for Sal since arriving as a lost little orphaned vervet after his mum was shot. He arrived lost, sick and cold and now’s he’s enjoying his chance chance - living in a troop, sleeping in the trees, playing with his friends and, of course, always climbing! 🌿🐒
Behind the Scenes 🐒🌿
It’s almost summer time in South Africa & with some recent rains, hopefully we will start getting some grass back again 🌱
Work on Lankora Troop is coming to an end, and the troop will soon be able to start moving into their new home! We can’t wait to see them settling into their new enclosure 🫶
Most of the building work on Dreamland is now finished, with just the last few bits to complete. Now it’s up to the baby team to get everything ready for this upcoming baby season🐵
Last season’s orphans are growing big and strong, and our milk shifts will soon start to come to an end as many of them are almost 1 year old. It’s always so special seeing them growing up and thriving in their troops, with their second chance families 🥹
There’s lots of work that goes on behind the scenes every day, and a big thank you to our amazing team for everything they do — preparing food, medications and dewormers, monitoring, cleaning, injections, laundry and so much more.
It’s not always the big things that matter the most, but all the little things that keep everything running and allow us to give our monkeys the care they need 🐒💚
