PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Local animal sanctuary Monkeyland has received another international feather in its cap, this time for biodiversity.
The sanctuary's "Buy a Square Metre of Forest for the Monkeys" campaign received top honours in the Land and Marine Biodiversity category at the Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards in Izmir, Turkey recently.
"It is an incredible honour and testament to our vision of combining wildlife preservation with environmental stewardship and innovative economic sustainability.
"This recognition highlights the significant impact of our efforts at Monkeyland and the dedication of everyone involved in protecting the primates and their habitat," co-founder Lara Mostert said.
Need to secure land
The campaign which received the award stemmed from a need to secure land for animals along the Garden Route.
Founder Tony Blignaut explained that while Monkeyland operates on land belonging to a proprietary limited company, the welfare of its animals remained the responsibility of the South African Animal Sanctuaries Alliance (SAASA) - a public benefit organisation and non-profit organisation - that also oversees the wellbeing of the residents of Birds of Eden and the Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay, and Monkeyland KZN in KwaZulu-Natal.
"If future generations of shareholders don't feel as passionately as we do, there's nothing stopping them from selling off the land for development, and leaving the animals with nowhere to go."
Public donations
To ensure this does not happen, they had decided the best way forward was to "literally to give the animals rights over their own land - and we'll do this by putting those rights in trust with SAASA".
To achieve this aim, the owners of the farm in The Crags where the sanctuary is currently positioned, have agreed to sell the land to SAASA, and SAASA in turn has set up its "Buy a Square Metre of Land for Primates" campaign so that members of the public can help fund the purchase by donating as little as a square metre to the cause - at a cost of R90.00 per square metre.
Safe environment
When Monkeyland opened its gates to the public in April 1998, the founders saw their role as providing a safe environment where previously captive primates - monkeys, lemurs and gibbons - could live out their lives in comfort and relative freedom.
Given that the primates held at the sanctuary originated mostly from the pet trade, and since they are not indigenous to South Africa, it was not practical to release them locally into the wild.
'Repopulating wildlands'
"But the alarming rate of habitat destruction around the world has added a second focus to Monkeyland's purpose: to protect the future of the species in its care in the event they're needed for repopulating natural wildlands.
"We will not under any circumstances trade any creature with private individuals, zoos or institutions unless it's for reintroduction into the wild," Blignaut said.
The idea of being able to see wild animals close at hand without actually interacting with them proved a winner for visitors and animals alike, and as a result, Monkeyland and the South African Animal Sanctuaries Alliance have featured prominently in an array of awards for responsible tourism and sustainable tourism including at the recent Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards.
'Immense pride'
"Standing on that stage in Turkey was a moment of immense pride, not just for me, but for all of us at SAASA. This award represents years of hard work, dedication, and passion from everyone in our team, as well as the belief that wildlife deserves to own the land they live on.
"It's truly humbling to receive such global recognition for our campaign," Mostert said.
She added that it was also a powerful reminder that they were on the right path.
"I hope it inspires many more to join us in securing land for the animals, ensuring their future is safe and free."
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