“Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord.” Psalm 103:22

Today it was decided by the three of us, Foster, myself, and Ron, that we would do something a little different. We decided on the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust – a place which cares for orphaned chimpanzees. It all began in 1983 when a local game ranger brought a severely injured and dying chimpanzee to Sheila Siddle’s door. Knowing her natural affinity for animals, and her huge heart, he asked if she could care for this poor orphaned chimp which had been taken from poachers. The rest of his family had been killed for meat, and this baby chimp was left with a huge gash on his face, exposing broken teeth, he had terrible infections from his wounds, and was terribly malnourished. This was the humble beginnings of this amazing refuge for orphaned wildlife. Chimfunshi is located in the bush, about forty miles west of Chingola, along the Kafue River, near the Congo border. As we turned off the main highway, following the sign pointing to Chimfunshi, which means place of water in Bemba, we immediately noticed the incredible vegetation along this single lane dirt path. The colors were rich and vibrant; trees with bright red leaves that looked like displaced ferns, and a forest thick with beautiful pines, and trees with interlocking branches of beautiful bright green leaves, and small greenery covering much of the ground,. We crossed tiny bridges over streams full of flowering water lilies, and a huge flat grassland that looked like velvet. Unfortunately, the road was quite rough, with most of the 21 km dirt path into the refuge resembling an old fashioned wash board. When we finally arrived at our destination we noticed monkeys walking along the ridges of the building rooftops, and a hippo comfortably soaking in the cool water of a fish pond, but no chimpanzees. Then a woman appeared carrying a one-year old chimpanzee wearing a diaper. He was introduced to us as Dominic, and clung to the woman as though she were his mother. He was just like a child – naughty and cute! As we were ushered around the chimpanzee housing, Dominic would hang from the tree and then the fence, and then climb to almost the top of a small tree and shake it as hard as he could. He would laugh when tickled, and was eager to play. He began howling when the older chimpanzees were fed before him, and just as a spoiled child, he was given a piece of fruit to quiet him. This is when Ron began asking him for a bite of the fruit. Dominic almost complied, but then thought better of it, shoving the last of the mango into his own mouth. By the end of our visit, Dominic would come alongside us and take hold of our hands and was also hanging from my legs just being playful. And he is strong! What a forceful little grip! There are nearly fifty chimps taking refuge here, most for many years now. Most of them roam large fenced areas, only returning to the buildings when it is time to eat. We were lucky since it was feeding time; everyone had surfaced to get their allotment of fruit, vegetables and a bottle of milk. Each one has their own distinct personality, and likes and dislikes. As we walked past, one of the males threw his cabbage at us, apparently not liking us or the cabbage!

The hippopotamus that lives here is named Billy. She is about fifteen years old, and came from the Kafue River near Kitwe. Billy’s mother was killed by hunters who were unable to retrieve the body because a bull hippo would not let them near. Billy, only about ten days old was eventually discovered hiding under the mother’s body. Lucky for Billy, she was brought to Sheila’s farm where she has been ever since. She, like all the infant animals, are initially cared for in Sheila’s home. Billy would wander into the house through the kitchen, head straight for the living room and stretch out on the sofa and watch television! This only stopped when she got so big, the couch finally collapsed. There are now heavy steel bars across the entrance to the kitchen, preventing Billy from just wandering into the house. Billy will occasionally make the trip back to the Kafue River meeting with other hippos, but she always returns home. She also frequents the velvety grassland, and has free range of the property.

Finally we saw some wildlife other than chickens and goats! What a wonderful way to spend the day – interacting with a playful chimpanzee and talking with this wonderful woman and her daughter who have dedicated their lives to these orphaned animals.