A quick highlight of recent events in the village:
- A spitting cobra blinded one of our hens, to eat the eggs she was sitting on. We thought the venom actually ate away at her eyes, and we weren't sure if she was going to recover. Some of our neighbors put milk in her eyes, the indigenous cure. A blind chicken probably wouldn't survive free-range grazing, so we slaughtered her and ate the meat with our host family.
- 97% of the village are away farming beans (the main cash crop) in the bush, living in temporary stick houses until late March. Most people come back into the village on Sunday for church. Shortly before we left, three houses by the road were broken into and all their belongings were stolen.
We just returned from an amazing vacation. First, we went to Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage http://www.chimfunshi.org.za/ in the Copperbelt, near Chingola. It was a 12-hour overnight bus ride from Kasama. The orphanage started in 1983 when a British couple with a cattle farm were given a sick, orphaned chimp to nurse back to health. Chimps aren't indigenous to Zambia, but they are to the Democratic Republic of Congo (the border is only kilometers from Chingola) and Tanzania. Due to the fighting in the Congo, chimps, their cousins bonobos, and gorillas are all at high risk. People kill them for bush meat, to use as fetishes in witchcraft, or for pets.
The orphanage now cares for over 120 chimpanzees of all ages. Most chimps live in family groups in four very spacious enclosures. Twice a day, they enter cages in an attached building to be fed, and so that the handlers can check on their well-being. The younger chimps and "the bachelors" are housed right by the founder's, Sheila Siddle's, house.
One of my favorite chimps was an older female named Milla. She was rescued from a bar in West Africa, where she'd imitate the patrons and drink beer and smoke cigarettes. Because she was a pet, she learned many mannerisms from people. She was in a cage, because the other chimps picked on her, and she learned how to escape from the electric-fenced enclosure. When we 
approached her cage, she'd lay her right hand over her heart, the traditional way of greeting. She'd also point hopefully out her cage at the house where her meals were prepared, and at the guava tree. She also carried around a square of blanket that she'd carefully arrange into a bed wherever she moved. Her caretaker said that a few times, when she escaped, she'd draw water from the borehole and use keys to open the locked food storage room.
approached her cage, she'd lay her right hand over her heart, the traditional way of greeting. She'd also point hopefully out her cage at the house where her meals were prepared, and at the guava tree. She also carried around a square of blanket that she'd carefully arrange into a bed wherever she moved. Her caretaker said that a few times, when she escaped, she'd draw water from the borehole and use keys to open the locked food storage room.<--Milla
We were able to observe a couple of feedings. They're fed local fruit, vegetables, and protein-fortified nshima. The caretakers will carefully throw food so that every chimp gets some, and the chimps will hurry to collect it and carry it in their arms to a spot by themseves to eat.
We were able to observe a couple of feedings. They're fed local fruit, vegetables, and protein-fortified nshima. The caretakers will carefully throw food so that every chimp gets some, and the chimps will hurry to collect it and carry it in their arms to a spot by themseves to eat.
<-- Chimp collecting bush oranges
The younger ones love to play. They'll somersault around, and playfully hit to provoke the other chimp to chase it. The older chimps are very tolerant of the younger ones, and even older ones that aren't related will gently tickle the babies.
The most amazing part of our trip
was the opportunity to go on a morning bush walk with four chimps from the orphanage and a caretaker. The chimps would immediately climb up onto our arms or on our shoulders when we walked, even Cindy, who was half of Chris' size.
The most amazing part of our trip
was the opportunity to go on a morning bush walk with four chimps from the orphanage and a caretaker. The chimps would immediately climb up onto our arms or on our shoulders when we walked, even Cindy, who was half of Chris' size. <-- Sims (on Chris) and Deedee playing on their human jungle gym
They'd hold our hands and delight in being swung. The youngest one, Dominic, about four-years old, was very mischevious and would suddenly jump onto you from a nearby tree. Cindy was a notorious camera thief, so most of the pictures were taken by the caretaker, Dominic's namesake. While the younger chimps would scurry up trees, Cindy 
stayed right by us, holding our hands. She was casually eating some small green berries from a bush nearby, and gave me some.
stayed right by us, holding our hands. She was casually eating some small green berries from a bush nearby, and gave me some.
<-- From left to right: Cindy, Dominic, and Carla
<-- Dominic the human and I swinging Dominic the chimp.
The wildlife orphanage also has a dozen African grey parrots, some vervet monkeys, and a hippo. The hippo's name was Billy and she was found as a days-old baby next to her dead mother. She's now full-size and wanders free over the marshy plain by the Siddles' house. She comes to the house every day to get a bottle of milk. Hippos are actually some of the most dangerous animals in Africa, so the Siddles have gates and barricades all around their house and yard to keep themselves and visitors safe from any accidental harm she could inflict.
<-- The founder, Sheila Siddle, feeding Billy her daily bottle.
<-- Chris and Jacko, a young vervet monkey
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