monkey-land-blog

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South Africa: An Introduction (Documentary)

South Africa is a spectacular country with great diversity in wildlife, landscapes and culture. The spectrum of landscapes ranging from desert to dense forest is the reason South Africa is home to over 175 endemic bird species and 230 mammals.

Many of these animals are becoming vulnerable as a result of hunting and habitat loss due to logging, mining, agriculture and human settlements. Monkeys are no exception. Almost half of the 262 primate species are threatened with extinction. Monkeyland, the largest free roaming primate sanctuary, offers a home to these vulnerable monkeys.

We stand up for wildlife with our campaign #HandsOffOurWildlife and believe that with a greater understanding for wildlife and nature we can all live in harmony.

Sources used:

Story (Assignment B)

http://www.monkeyland.co.za

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Reasons To Visit South Africa

(Image: go2africa)

1. Diverse Wildlife  South Africa serves as the home of an enormous variety of wildlife, around 1,100 different species of mammals and over 2,600 species of birds. There are viewings all over the country in its various national parks, along with many safari tours that can help you spot the famous Big Five Animals.

(Image: thetravellingchilli)

2. The people Together with a population of 56 million and 11 national languages, South Africa is a mosaic of cultures, with a massive adventure potential. It’s known as the “Rainbow Nation” for joining so many traditions and languages. Each culture is a mix of different flavors and colors, together creating a melting pot of customs.This is an incredible time to travel Africa as you can literally see history unfolding.

3. Outdoor adventures For the extreme sports lovers, you can challenge yourselves with the highest bungee jump in the world, or climbing the peaks of the mighty Drakensberg mountains, where you can microlight through the hills of Mpumalanga, and explore the Great White Shark territory with cage diving. For the milder adventurers, there is a huge variety of activities like horseback trail-riding, cattle mustering, hiking for days through breath-taking landscapes, or relaxing with fishing or tracking the rare black rhinos for hours with a trained guide.

(Image: sa-venues)

4. Breathtaking landscapes

South Africa holds spectacular beauty. Mountains surrounded by turquoise waters, endless desserts with beautiful orange sunsets and green canyons that stretch into long bumbling rivers. The country has some of the most spectacular landscapes and diverse scenery. Explore the wondrous semi-deserts, extremely long coastlines, mountain ranges, forests, and savanna areas.

6. Animal Sanctuaries

South Africa is the home to multiple wonderful animal ‘safe havens’, places where animals can roam freely and are protected for the rest of their lives. These safe havens are dedicated to the preservation of these species and their natural environment. The animals in there cannot be sold or used for testing or are to be a subject to any kind of cruelty. Most often these animals have been saved from tragic circumstances. Many are orphaned, or rescued from hunting, and malicious treatment in circuses and zoos or from individuals that owned them.

This is the goal of our sanctuary, Monkeyland. To encourage understanding and commitment to the conservation of the world's wildlife, the need for healthy natural habitats and recognition of the interdependence of people, their natural environment and its component resources, and to save as many unfortunately animals from the tragic fates they face.

(Image: Monkeyland)

For more information and sources used: https://www.travelground.com/blog/15-animal-sanctuaries

https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/tourism-south-africa/travel/adventure/backpacking-in-south-africa

https://ubuntuadventure.com/2016/01/16/7-reasons-you-should-backpack-in-africa-instead-of-europe/

https://www.go2africa.com/african-travel-blog/top-10-reasons-to-visit-south-africa

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Monkey Extinction: It Is Real

We save our monkey’s with a purpose. The main reasons for monkey extinction is the rapid decline of natural habitats due to logging, mining, agriculture and human settlements.

This is a world wide problem, over half of world’s apes and monkeys are in danger of extinction (USAToday, 2017). Monkeyland’s priority is conservation, if this does not become a global priority, then a lot of other species will disappear in 25 years.

A photograph of illegal logging in South Africa is displayed above. Logging is not only prominent in South Africa but also in other parts of the world such as Indonesia. The photo below shows the horrifying truths that logging has down to our forests. 

(Sumatra, Photo by W. F. Laurance)

We have the power and opportunity to make primate conservation a global priority. If you are interested in learning more about these issues, please sign up for the Monkeyland newsletter (http://www.monkeyland.co.za/newsletter). Become part of our family and help to make the world a little better for our animal friends.

For more information and sources used:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2017/01/18/primates-apes-monkeys-extinction/96724398/

http://www.monkeyland.co.za/mission_content_id_48

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The Danger of Zoos

(Header photo by Travel Lushes)

Zoos are a place for people to come and enjoy themselves while getting to see their favorite wild animals and even learn a bit while they’re there. However, what a lot of people don’t know is how harmful zoos really are for these animals.

Animals in zoos are caged for life. They have no control over what they eat, the size of the enclosure, how exposed it is to humans and how many other animals they share the enclosure with. A lot of zoos also aren’t required to do much more than feed and provide shelter for the animals and because of this, the enclosures they are kept in often do not resemble their natural habitat and lack the vegetation the animals need to thrive.  Often, animals that are more social get deprived of this by being put alone while animals that prefer solitude get put in groups. Additionally, many of the animals found in zoos, such as lions and elephants, are typically found in habitats that allow them to roam for kilometers on end while in zoos they are confined to small enclosures leaving them bored and restless, often leading to something called “zoochosis”.

Many animals can feel stressed, restless or threatened because of their undesirable enclosures and the exposure to humans and have no way of escaping it. This stress is what causes the animals to form neurotic behaviors (zoochosis) such as pacing back and forth, eating their own excrement, rocking, swaying side to side and self-mutilation. A study in the United States conducted by the Captive Animals’ Protection Society found that in 90% of the public aquariums they researched had animals that showed signs of zoochosis. Zoochosis is rarely observed in the wild and is a clear sign that keeping animals captive is unhealthy and causes them to suffer.

Zoos claim that they exist to educate and entertain as well as breed, raise and enclose endangered animals. However, the way zoos are set up now makes it apparent that they prioritize visitors over animals. The majority of the animals in zoos are not considered endangered species and those who are rarely get released back into the wild. Instead, zoos keep breeding these animals in captivity in order to maintain their stock as well as have a competitive advantage to attract visitors. When the animals get sick, old or they have too many, rather than providing a lifetime of proper care, zoos prioritize whatever makes their zoo more appealing and will often trade, sell and lend the animals to other zoos or even to circuses or hunters. This is done despite knowing that certain animals have formed strong group bonds that are essential for their long-term happiness and that readjustment is disruptive and stressful.  

Additionally, the education that zoos offer is contradictory to what needs to be shown. It is contradictory as a lot of things zoos do, such as place animals in cages that are too small or placing them near predators is what causes the animals to feel stressed and reduce their quality of life. Zoos teach people that it is ok to cage animals and to keep them in conditions that are clearly making them stressed. Animals are not here solely for our entertainment and should be respected.

Thankfully, there are sanctuaries all over that stand up for animal welfare and aim to raise awareness and educate people about the many different forms of animal cruelty that is happening around the world. These sanctuaries rescue animals that have lost their homes in the wild and provide them with a new home that closely resembles their natural habitat. Monkeyland is one example of such a sanctuary and we aim to create awareness about the plight of the world’s wildlife and to show that with a greater understanding for wildlife and nature we can all live in harmony.

For more information and sources used:

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/zoos/

http://www.animalequality.net/entertainment/zoos

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Q&A Session!

Send in your questions now! We would love to answer your questions about Monkeyland and monkeys but don’t be afraid to ask other questions as well (for example about South Africa, Monkey extinction, animal activism, wildlife).

Hope to see you soon!

All the best,

Monkeyland

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Wondering why we can’t all live in harmony 

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A female gorilla and her four-month-old baby in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over half of world’s wild primate species face extinction, scientists have warned.

Photograph: Russell A Mittermeier/Conservati/PA

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Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey

One key reason you’ll struggle to spot this species is because they’re found in trees between 200m and 1,200m high. They were only first discovered back in 1992, and in 2008, there were less than 250 of the monkeys left in the world, however, conservation efforts are now helping this number to steadily increase.

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Monkeys, Zambia by Fred Dawson

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White Gibbons by Mark Dumont

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Cape Town, South Africa

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Blyde River Canyon - South Africa (by Giorgio Rodano) 

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“Don’t take a picture, I’m covered in fruit”

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I support animal rights. I choose being vegan.

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The Danger of Zoos

Zoos are a place for people to come and enjoy themselves while getting to see their favorite wild animals and even learn a bit while they’re there. However, what a lot of people don’t know is how harmful zoos really are for these animals.

Animals in zoos are caged for life. They have no control over what they eat, the size of the enclosure, how exposed it is to humans and how many other animals they share the enclosure with. A lot of zoos also aren’t required to do much more than feed and provide shelter for the animals and because of this, the enclosures they are kept in often do not resemble their natural habitat and lack the vegetation the animals need to thrive.  Often, animals that are more social get deprived of this by being put alone while animals that prefer solitude get put in groups. Additionally, many of the animals found in zoos, such as lions and elephants, are typically found in habitats that allow them to roam for kilometers on end while in zoos they are confined to small enclosures leaving them bored and restless, often leading to something called “zoochosis”.

Many animals can feel stressed, restless or threatened because of their undesirable enclosures and the exposure to humans and have no way of escaping it. This stress is what causes the animals to form neurotic behaviors (zoochosis) such as pacing back and forth, eating their own excrement, rocking, swaying side to side and self-mutilation. A study in the United States conducted by the Captive Animals’ Protection Society found that in 90% of the public aquariums they researched had animals that showed signs of zoochosis. Zoochosis is rarely observed in the wild and is a clear sign that keeping animals captive is unhealthy and causes them to suffer.

Zoos claim that they exist to educate and entertain as well as breed, raise and enclose endangered animals. However, the way zoos are set up now makes it apparent that they prioritize visitors over animals. The majority of the animals in zoos are not considered endangered species and those who are rarely get released back into the wild. Instead, zoos keep breeding these animals in captivity in order to maintain their stock as well as have a competitive advantage to attract visitors. When the animals get sick, old or they have too many, rather than providing a lifetime of proper care, zoos prioritize whatever makes their zoo more appealing and will often trade, sell and lend the animals to other zoos or even to circuses or hunters. This is done despite knowing that certain animals have formed strong group bonds that are essential for their long-term happiness and that readjustment is disruptive and stressful.  

Additionally, the education that zoos offer is contradictory to what needs to be shown. It is contradictory as a lot of things zoos do, such as place animals in cages that are too small or placing them near predators is what causes the animals to feel stressed and reduce their quality of life. Zoos teach people that it is ok to cage animals and to keep them in conditions that are clearly making them stressed. Animals are not here solely for our entertainment and should be respected.

Thankfully, there are sanctuaries all over that stand up for animal welfare and aim to raise awareness and educate people about the many different forms of animal cruelty that is happening around the world. These sanctuaries rescue animals that have lost their homes in the wild and provide them with a new home that closely resembles their natural habitat. Monkeyland is one example of such a sanctuary and we aim to create awareness about the plight of the world's wildlife and to show that with a greater understanding for wildlife and nature we can all live in harmony.

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Caught relaxing in the sunshine