We are delighted to be able to bring you an update from the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre over in Malawi! One of the most common animals to come in to the centre is the vervet monkey, and after a successful release of 22 of these adventurous animals back in 2016, their 9 month post-release monitoring programme is coming to an end!
The 22 monkeys, who all came into the centre after being injured or orphaned, were successfully rehabilitated and given a fresh chance to live their lives out in the African Wilderness early last year. They were released into the Kasungu National Park back in March, and they have been monitored almost religiously every day for the past 9 months to ensure that their transition back into the wild went as smoothly as possible.
Fortunately for everyone involved, the troop took wonderfully to their new home and they even took in three new wild adult males, all whilst welcoming 4 new babies to the clan as well! Their new territory is centred around the permanent water holes found in the local riverbed, and this is where they spent most of their time over the hot summer months.
There was an element of change amongst the monkeys though as one of the newcomers to the group, a wild male named Cicero, successfully dethroned the once leader of the troop Pops to become the new alpha male. Pops has remained with the troop, but with Cicero at the helm the troop is expected to continue to navigate their new home well and without many problems.
The group will be checked up on sporadically now by the team at Lilongwe, but the release team is now busy preparing for the next vervet monkey release, so keep your eyes peeled for an update!
