Today’s Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants will be presented in Luganda, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, (Luganda), Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Warm greetings, loving viewers and welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Today we visit the vibrant Uganda Wildlife Education Centre.

Established in 1952, it has become one of the most respected biodiversity conservation education institutions in Africa. Located near the famed Lake Victoria, the Centre informs Ugandans and the rest of the world about the precious wildlife heritage of Uganda as well as rescues and rehabilitates injured, orphaned, and illegally trafficked animals. James Musinguzi, executive director of the Centre is responsible for guiding the organization.

It is very important that we teach about the conservation of the biodiversity in Uganda because of the various uses and aspects that biodiversity helps us with. For example, you know that biodiversity acts as food, medicine for animals and plants. Biodiversity gives us livelihoods. For example, when you talk about tourism, it is an industry that is fast-growing in Uganda. And it is biodiversity-based tourism.

Therefore it is very important for us to preserve biodiversity in order to help the people with their livelihoods and to continue and maintain the balance of the ecosystem so that we can prevent problems like global warming, climate change. So we need to preserve the biodiversity in order to preserve and maintain a stable ecosystem and environment.

The Centre realizes the importance of reaching out to the young generation as they are the leaders of tomorrow and the future protectors of the environment.

We work as a practical center in Uganda where children come from all schools in the country to learn about what we do. What they learn in class is theory, so they come here to acquire the practical aspect. And we also of course run most on-site programs here at the Centre and also go out through what we call Schools and Community Conservation Educational Program, through an outreach program.

So we do our programs here and we also go out and educate the schools and the communities because some communities and schools are not able to come here because of financial problems. So we go and take the message out there with conservation materials, documentaries, videos, and even live animals.

The Centre is unique in that it has all the major ecosystems found in Uganda.

We have recreated the five ecosystems of Uganda. We have the savanna. We have the forest. We have the wetland. We have the lake. And all this you can get here. We even have the mountain in the forest.

The savannah covers the largest part of this refuge and features such animals as giraffes, zebras, and elands. Wetlands make up approximately 13% of Uganda’s total area and wetland inhabitants found at the Centre include Shoebill storks, Monitor lizards, and Mud fish. Some of the forest-dwellers at the Centre are baboons, chimpanzees and Vervet monkeys. Animals are not caged and are allowed to live as if they were in the wild.

We try to make sure that the animals are within a natural environment. What we have tried is to mimic what is in the wild, what is in the national park. So when you come here you won’t see cages, you’ll see animals free ranging in their natural environment. And that gives us a plus and a distinction. When we are treating animals here, we take a lot of care of them; we want them to mimic and live life that is in the wild, so that they don’t have to be isolated and in a captive environment.

The Centre takes good care of its animal residents and has the necessary equipment and services to ensure they are healthy and happy.

We have quite a number of facilities as you have seen. We have a lot of exhibits where we keep our animals. In addition to exhibits, we have what we call holding areas where we keep our animals especially at night. And then as you’ll see we have got an animal hospital where we have a lot of machinery in terms of x-ray machines, machines that we use to operate on our animals. It’s a fully-fledged animal hospital with a lot of drugs.

We have a food store there as you’ve seen. We have a cold room where we keep our animals’ food. We have a workshop there where we fabricate our own materials in terms of animal crates and animal feeding troughs. Then we have accommodation within the Centre where our keepers and animal caregivers stay onsite because this is a 24-hour job.

I work as a vet in the Uganda Wildlife Education Center. If an animal is not extremely hurt, we register them in our books, then after that, we go take their weight. After taking their weight, we do an examination, a thorough examination. Then we put them here at the vet unit for quarantine. But usually for a bad (case), for example, a chimpanzee comes in with fractured arm or limb, then immediately we intervene and give fluids and other emergency drugs and stabilize the animal.

I’m Nanduiu Jennifer, working as an animal caregiver. I love animals, actually all animals. I just like wild animals, yeah. And I feel so happy that I’m working with them right now. I accomplished my dream of working with wild animals.

With the chimps, they’re, 98% like human beings. So they’re intelligent. They can understand what you’re doing and they can understand what you’re telling them to do.

We are now entering the quarantine section of the veterinary hospital. So you're welcome. So behind me you can see we have two baby chimps. They were rescued from some island in Kalangala. They've been here since last year in October. This is Mr. Tim, and Mr. Kasumba. So they are the lovely animals we have here; they're very interesting animals.

And the main problem with chimpanzees is people are capturing them to use them for medicinal purposes. They’re using them to eat meat. They're also using them in their hotel facility. They think they will get visitors. But it is all banned; they don't have permission to do that. They don't have licenses. So they are doing everything illegally. If we learn of such a scenario, we rescue the animal.

They are around two years old, and they're doing fine. You can see they're playing, they're happy. So we'll keep them here for a while before we can integrate them to the big group, which is out there on the island. They are very intelligent. They're very playful also. And we love them.

On top of what we do, we bring about awareness that these animals are very important for our environment. These animals are very important, and we have to protect them. Let's not eat them. Let's not kill them. Chimpanzees always live in a group in a big family. So in order to get a baby, you must have done something bad to the mom and dad. So in the process, you get the baby. That's how bad it is.

This is the Marabou Stork, the Crested Crane, which is the national crane. They’re injured sometimes. Sometimes they’re hit by vehicles. If they are brought here, we take them in for small surgery. They do the surgery, then we release them. They can’t go back outside now, because they can’t fly, these three. So we look after them.

So here we have another bird. This one had an injury, a serious injury to the bone. It broke. So he was just in the hospital yesterday. He is very wild; he is a Marabou Stork. So they did surgery on him yesterday, and he’s now resting. It was a complete fracture of the femur, so they put a pin inside and some encircling wires and the surgery was successful. We hope after some time he’ll be able to walk, and maybe fly one day and go back. The Marabou Stork is a very special bird in Uganda, because they clear waste. They are very good in maintaining the hygiene of the environment.

The biggest problem here is rescuing animals from people’s farms and homes, because people are doing agriculture in the wetlands, so they have invaded the homes for animals. So the animals don’t have homes anymore.

The snakes, the pythons are the number one rescue animals. So when we bring them here, we rehabilitate them, and after some time, we release them into the national parks. So because of the environmental degradation, the invasion of areas where they are not supposed to do farming, like wetlands and so on, a lot of animals, bats and reptiles are losing their habitat.

We're doing the intervention when we receive them here and we take them back. But in the long term, the education process with our colleagues is to tell people what they shouldn’t be doing. They shouldn't be cutting trees, they shouldn’t be going in wetlands, they shouldn’t be invading lands where they are not supposed to go. They should learn that the animals have the right to live. The animals are good for us.

James Musinguzi and staff at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, we are very proud of what you are doing for Uganda’s wildlife and may you continue to save the lives of many more animals and successfully spread the message regarding the importance of biodiversity conservation.

For more details on the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, please visit www.UWEC.ug Please watch Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants Thursday, June 16 for the conclusion of our two-part program on the Centre.

Humble viewers, we thank you for joining us today on Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Up next is Enlightening Entertainment, after Noteworthy News. May our world be filled with compassionate deeds to create Heaven on Earth.

Today’s Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants will be presented in Luganda, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Luganda, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Warm greetings, loving viewers and welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Today we visit the vibrant Uganda Wildlife Education Centre.

Established in 1952, it has become one of the most respected biodiversity conservation education institutions in Africa. Located near the famed Lake Victoria, the Centre informs Ugandans and the rest of the world about the precious wildlife heritage of Uganda as well as rescues and rehabilitates injured, orphaned, and illegally trafficked animals.

We go out and rescue animals, for example, illegal possession by individuals. Some individuals use animals as pets at home. They use them for medicinal purposes. And so they hold them illegally in their homes. Therefore it is our duty to go and bring them here into our Centre to rehabilitate them and re-introduce them back into the wild.

This parrot`s tail is torn. I can tell you when he came here, he was completely naked. The skin is outside, no feathers, no nothing, because the people keeping him did not have enough knowledge about the nutritional needs of birds. So you can see now, he's coming up; he’s gaining his feathers, and soon he will be with all his plumage.

He is saying hallo to us!

Yes, hallo, Kasuku. This is a “Kasuku,” locally called Kasuku, but this is the African Grey Parrot.

A notable accomplishment by the Centre was rescuing a group of African Grey parrots. Mr. Musinguzi now provides more details.

It was a joint effort between the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Uganda Revenue Authority. Some parrots were being smuggled; they were caught at the border post. We brought them here. They were suffocating, because they had been packed in very small boxes. Some of them had died.

So we removed those that were still alive and we rehabilitated them as you’ll see. They are very healthy. And now we are collaborating with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. They have finished their quarantine period and now we are trying to draw up a release plan to be able to release them back into the wild.

So we are now at a facility which is temporarily holding a part of the African Grey Parrot (population here). The birds are facing a problem because people are capturing them in the wild forests for illegal trade. So it is believed that there were 500 birds captured at the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. But they were already in Uganda. They didn't have valid permits. They didn't have valid certificates. They didn't have any proper documentation.

So in a situation like that, when the customs officials learned of the consignment, they alerted the Uganda Wildlife Authority, which is the government body which is the custodian of all wildlife in Uganda. So from there, they alerted us and they transported the birds here. So when they brought in the birds, it happened that some birds had already been stolen. And we were able to rescue the 140 birds that were received here.

They were packed in tiny, small boxes, which were not professionally done. And when we opened the boxes, some birds actually had died, because they had no space. They hadn't been fed. Some were sick. They were of different age groups. You have juvenile birds. You have adults. You have very tiny birds.

They were varying in size, ranging from 150 grams, 200 grams to 600 grams (in weight). And then the big guys are 800 grams (in weight). They were all in those containers without any separation. So you can imagine there was a lot of stampeding, a lot of struggle. And because these birds are wild, they struggled a lot to come out.

As soon as these traumatized and injured African Greys arrived, the Centre lovingly provided them with careful medical attention. The birds were then placed in an enclosed area where they could recuperate.

The top priority is to ensure that you simulate a natural environment. So looking at the shed, looking at the provision for flying, they should be able to have flight. They should fly. They should also have enrichment, perching. They should be able to fly around. They should be able to rest. They should be in a cool place. And space and air is very important for birds. Then also we should provide feeding troughs where they get fruits and water. It's like as if they are in the forest.

The parrots usually like fruits, mangos, pawpaws, and avocado sometimes. They are vegetarian birds. Then they also eat seeds, fresh seeds like sorghum, rice, millet; all these grains, maize and corn. They like passion fruit, oh my God, they like passion fruit! They like pawpaws and then sugar cane. They enjoy sugar cane. That's their number one priority here. They like sugar cane.

They are considered one of the most intelligent species of birds in the whole world. They have the ability to recognize. They can at least remember. They can know commands. They can know your voice. They can mimic your voice. Say, “Hallo, Kasuku.” “Hallo, Kasuku.”

African Grey Parrots, they are intelligent birds. You can talk the way how you want them to talk. They mimic as you are (now) hearing them; they are singing now. And those birds, they are mostly active in the morning.

I do communicate with them. I call them, I say, "How are you?" They also say, "Hallo, hallo to you," and can say, "How are you?" Those birds, you can teach them anything you want.

They know colors. They can know you're bringing in food. And they are usually in big, big families. They are social birds really. And the main thing is that they live for a very long period of time. The parrot can live for 40 years, 50 years. So they have a very long lifespan.

When you receive birds, they are supposed to be here for six weeks. You observe and make sure when you are releasing, you are releasing birds which are capable of living and flying and eating and finding their own food. So some of them have lost feathers. Some of them, they had their flight feathers chopped. Some of them couldn't fly, they were just walking like lizards, they couldn't climb. But you can see as of now, all of them are up, which is a good sign. And then they have regained weight.

When Supreme Master Ching Hai learned of the wonderful act of saving the trafficked African Grey Parrots, she contributed US$5,000 to support the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre’s efforts to rehabilitate these noble birds.

I would like to inform you that the money is going to actually be used in rehabilitating wildlife or animals that we do have at the Centre. In particular, like you said we’ve got parrots that were rescued from illegal activity and they are with us here.

So the money is going to help us in terms of rehabilitating the birds, in terms of feeding them, in terms of treating them (with) medication as well as ensuring that we give a good release plan back into the wild. So this is going to be a great contribution that is going to help us in terms of achieving our objective as the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre.

On Supreme Master Ching Hai’s behalf, our Association members presented the Centre with a number of gifts including Supreme Master Ching Hai’s #1 international best-selling books, “The Birds In My Life,” “The Dogs In My Life,” and “The Noble Wilds.” James Musinguzi has the following message for Supreme Master Ching Hai.

As the Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, I would like to pass on some words to Master Ching Hai. We are very appreciative of the gesture, for the funds, the US$5,000, for the books that are going to enrich our knowledge, and I would like to promise that the money is going to be used for the right cause, that is, rescue and rehabilitation of the birds that we do have. We are going to share the knowledge that has been given to us through our various programs that we run, both on-site and through the community, in our outreach program.

The Centre’s staff also has a message for Supreme Master Ching Hai: UWEC (Uganda Wildlife Education Centre) Is Extremely Honored And Grateful For The Generous Contribution of US$5,000 In Support Of Parrot Rehabilitation From The Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Are there any thoughts you like to share with the viewers?

The message I have for the viewers is that we should join Master Ching Hai in advocating for a better place, advocating for a better and cleaner environment, advocating for a world that is free of hunger. (We) should advocate for sustainable livelihoods and food security. We should join hands in partnership, work together and make this world a better place. Thank you.

James Musinguzi and staff at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, we are very proud of what you are doing for Uganda’s wildlife and may you continue to save the lives of many more animals and successfully spread the message regarding the importance of biodiversity conservation.

For more details on the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, please visit

Humble viewers, we thank you for joining us today on Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Up next is Enlightening Entertainment, after Noteworthy News. May our world be filled with compassionate deeds to create Heaven on Earth.