Rhesus Macaques
This family of monkeys
were in danger of being put to sleep when the zoo in which they lived
closed down.
Harriet is the oldest and leader of the family. Dawn is the mother of
Domino the eldest son and Jubilee the baby. They are very naughty and
destructive and enjoy taking their toys apart.
In early 1999 we had Domino castrated to prevent any more babies, however, Domino had the last laugh as a few months later Dawn gave birth to a baby girl who we have named Milly.
Arctic Fox
Bonnie has been with us since we opened the centre. He was our first animal rescue and came from a fur farm. Bonnie only got away with his life because of the fact that he had a damaged tail and foot and was considered no good as a coat!
Bonnie doesn't like other foxes (we have tried) and much prefers to lead a solitary life.
Photo © Mark A. Stevenson
Photo
© Mark A. Stevenson
Snakes
All of our snakes have been rescued. Some have grown too big for their owners to keep and others have become aggressive (snakes can have a nasty bite!).
We have different snakes ranging from Garter Snakes to Burmese Pythons. Pictured is a Californian Corn Snake.
Caracal Lynx - A Success Story
In 1998 we rescued a pair of Caracal Lynx. They came from a zoo that closed down. The plan was for them to be returned to Africa, their native country. Following a vet check it was found that Caracals had mated and the female was pregnant. In August she produced three very healthy kittens (pictured on the home page).
The whole family left us in July 1999 and were released into the Kruger National park. We have received word that our Caracal Lynx are hunting for themselves and helping to keep birds away from a nearby airport.
Their whole journey was filmed and shown on TV. You will agree that it was a wonderful success story.
Racoons
Ruth came from a private home. She had been living in a small pen with no contact of any sort. She was very frightened and neurotic when she came to us. She continually paced back and forth as if she were still in her small pen.
We bought Rocky from another centre to give her some company. She hated him for the first week, but then decided to accept him as her mate. They have been together now for five years. In 1996 despite her age (approximately 12 years) she produced cubs, and we kept Rosie, their daughter. Ruth still paces occasionally but we keep her busy looking for tidbits. Rocky visited the vet recently to make sure that there would be no more babies.
Capuchin Monkey
We have a number of Capuchin monkeys. Bim and Bobby are brother and sister. They came from a place which over-bred monkeys and had run out of space. Toto came from a home which had no license to keep him. He was kept on a chain. Toto is quite friendly and loves to play, he especially loves to draw! Olly came with Stan from a private home which could not cope with their bad tempers. Brian, the largest monkey came from a home which was having difficulties coping with his aggressive behavior. He now lives happily in the troop and has now calmed down a lot.
Hammy hates most Monkeys and will only live with Figsy and Stan. Figsy does not like anyone and although she looks very sweet she doesn't like anyone. She is 22 years old and Sammy is 18 years old. Sammy sometimes paces up and down, a behavioral habit from which he was suffering when we took him in. We try to distract him by hiding peanuts and other treats, giving him something to do.
Stan came with Olly but now lives with Sammy and Figsy as he was bullying the other monkeys. He has settled in well in his new home. Together the three of them cause a lot of mischief.
European Eagle Owl
This is the largest species of owl in the world, and probably the hardest to train due to their lack of concentration. Yerevan will hopefully eventually star in our displays.
Photo © Mark A. Stevenson
Tawny Owls
Bubble was illegally taken from the wild may years ago. She is very tame and accompanies Rob on school visits to promote conservation. She is now 14 years old and well past her sell-by-date. Squeak is her companion. He was also hand reared before coming to the centre and is unable to be released. They now have one extra friend who was brought to us by the RSPCA after being kept as a pet.
Photo © Mark A. Stevenson
©
2001 The Wildlife Centre. 
