Vet Assistance; 124 Other; 170 Fruit Tree Nursery; 18 Education; 106 Farming; 164
Behaviour Enrichment 199
Food Prep. 78
Bushwalk; 135 Enclosure Cleaning; 133 Boundary Patrol; 19
AVG TEMP:
LANGUAGE LESSON:
WHAT’S NEW ON THE GROUND?
17 C
Bemba “Tukamonana!” “See you later!”
• Bush-baby Hercules, Vervet monkey Dobby and two young owls moved into the vet’s house/garden next door for some extra care and attention. • Zambian Independence Day was celebrated in style at the local school. • Volunteers planted fruit trees from the nursery to provide a long-term source of food for the chimps.
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Volunteers spent over 130 hours scrubbing and sweeping the chimp’s enclosures to help keep them clean and hygienic.
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Nearly 20 hours were spent patrolling the enclosure boundaries to make sure they were secure.
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78 hours were spent preparing fruit and vegetables as well as rolling nshima balls for the chimps to have for dinner.
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Volunteers were privileged to have enjoyed 135 hours with the special bushwalking chimps, exploring their enclosure together.
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Volunteers spent an impressive 164 hours in the heat of the sun working hard helping Chimfunshi in their aim to become more self-sustainable.
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We picked over 31 sacks of oranges and lemons for the chimps, rich in vitamin C to help keep away coughs and colds.
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We harvested nearly 30 sacks of spinach and rape (planted by volunteers in June!), 600 mustard plants and 12 sacks of carrots, all for the chimps.
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630 radishes, 56 watermelons and approximately 3500 groundnuts were planted to provide food for the chimps in the new year!
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Volunteers watered 5 rows of onions and 6 rows of tomatoes using the newly installed borehole and solar pump, providing a more reliable water source.
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1800 tomato plants were fertilized, and carrots, spinach/rape and tomatoes weeded.
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Volunteers assisted in weighing cattle, as well as observing them being dipped to remove external parasites.
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22 seedlings from the fruit tree nursery - started in June - were finally big and strong enough to be planted out into the fruit tree orchard at the farm.
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Volunteers spent nearly 200 hours with their creative juices flowing, preparing enrichment activities for the special chimp ‘Escape Artists’ and Zsabu (a very special chimp), Vervet monkeys, baboons and African grey parrots. These enrichment activities kept the animals engaged for nearly 20 hours.
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The baboons’ highlight was a rope ladder to swing on, while the vervets’s was a large blanket suspended which they proceeded to jump on like a trampoline!
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The Escape Artists were entertained with music, bubbles, mirrors, magazines, glasses, puzzle ball, hide n seek and throw and catch. They were also tested with a food maze, cloth balls (layers of cloth tied up with food inside), termite mounds, food hidden on the roof, food out of reach to be ‘fished for’, hand-made hay pillows (full of hay and treats) and a puzzle box they were unable to see in just reach inside.
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Water bottles were still popular; being filled with stones, leaves, a snake skin(!), with or without fruit/veg and treats, as well as frozen fruit juice/water to provide ice pops on the hotter days.
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To challenge the chimps’ senses, volunteers also introduced different smells such as essential oils, different tastes (eg. chilli powder, coffee) and painted fruits different colors.
“I had a great time at Chimfunshi, made all the more brilliant by excellent staff and a friendly community. It’s almost 2 months later and I still miss them all (chimps included!).” Angela, Australia, Chimfunshi Volunteer 2017
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Volunteers spent over 105 hours working at the local school. A particular highlight was returning volunteer (Teacher Bruce from the USA), who made a big impact with his science lessons.
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The newly created nursery group is proving popular and volunteers enjoy spending time with the younger kids.
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124 hours were spent helping Chimfunshi vet, Thalita!
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With lots of animals in her care, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and assisted cleaning cages for Dobby (a vervet monkey), Hercules (the bushbaby), Don (the chimp) and 2 owls during their stay.
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Volunteers also accompanied the vet on her rounds, seeing the cattle at the farm, observing a cesarean and watching the de-worming.
“I spent 4 weeks at Chimfunshi and everything was unbelievable. One of my best moments was when I saw the chimps for the first time, I was so excited and happy, it was a dream come true! On my day off I would walk to the enclosures and watch the chimps. I was really impressed with how they are altogether in a group – they groom each other, play, fight, make fun and so much more. Their behaviour is so cool and so beautiful. When I watched the mums with their babies in Enclosure #2 I had a really happy feeling. It’s wonderful they look after the baby for 5years. You need to see the chimps with your own eyes to feel the feeling that I had, just magic!!” Laetitia - Belgium
“My time at Chimfunshi was incredible. A big part of the success in my time spent there was the rewarding hard work! On one particular rainy day at the farm we spent the whole morning harvesting, washing and bagging thousands of carrots. We were achy and muddy, but the reward came the very next day, when we sat and watched the chimps eating the carrots we’d provided. It was an amazing thing to see where that hard work went and to know that our efforts made a difference!” Annika – Germany/USA
Until next time
The Chimfunshi Team!!