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.