15-03-2004, 04:12 PM
Dear Animal Lover,
A Plea for Help from the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage in Zimbabwe, Africa
ChipangaliWildlifeOrphanage is a Sanctuary for sick, injured & orphaned animals of Zimbabwe, Southern Africa. Based on the outskirts of Bulawayo, we have just celebrated our 30th Birthday. "Chipangali", meaning Open Friendly Country, was set up in 1973 by Vivian & Paddy Wilson & continues to be run by this wonderful couple to this day, together with their son Kevin, his wife Nicky & a staff of around 40 Zimbabweans. An entirely barren 20 hectare piece of land saw the start of this great venture & since then a lot of hard work, dedication & determination have gone into building this wildlife haven.
Chipangali has overcome all the many obstacles laid in its path over some extremely harsh years & is currently home to over 250 animals, birds & reptiles, including leopard, lion, cheetah, hyaena, birds of prey, antelope, crocodile, the endangered black rhino & wild dog, & many more besides.
But day to day living in Zimbabwe is now becoming an increasing strain on one & all. It has been a struggle for a long time of course, but Chipangali has always managed to work through each situation with strength & determination. But we have reached the point where we need to ask for financial assistance from our good friends, the animal loving public.
Tourism is pretty non-existent, so we are having to rely heavily on our local impoverished population for financial support, which is simply not enough. Our own Government quite unbelievably offers us no support. Electricity charges have just risen by a staggering 400%, just in the last month alone, which has come as rather a horrific surprise to the Wilson family, as well as to the nation as a whole. Telephone charges have just doubled, again this past month alone. These increases are not new; they have been occurring on a regular basis for many months now & always without warning. Just as people think they are doing OK, they receive a single bill demanding more than their monthly earnings. Foodstuffs double, triple or even quadruple at the supplier's discretion at any time. People's salaries may have doubled in the past year, if they are lucky, but none have tripled or quadrupled. Our rate of inflation currently stands at over 1,000%, with the cost of borrowing at over 600%. As you might imagine, this is utterly unlivable & unworkable for everyone striving to survive in this beautiful country.
Chipangali's Bush Camp is quiet & does not bring in the financial support it once did; our Curio Shop is rarely visited, those few visits rarely ending in a purchase being made; our popular Tea Room remains unstocked since before Christmas, thus no revenue can come from this valuable source; our number of workers remains the same, as a necessity, but morale is incredibly low due to the low wages available to give them & the high cost of living, thus resulting in very low performance in work in all areas of the Orphanage. Theft is an ever increasing problem we suffer. Our animals are very hungry. We need help in order to survive this difficult period.
The founder, Viv Wilson...
Viv Wilson is Zimbabwe's answer perhaps to David Attenborough. A great conservationist since a young boy, Viv has taken on many remarkable challenges throughout his life & now in his early 70s, continues to do so. Aside from his great achievements working with animals, his work in the field of research throughout much of Africa is also widely known throughout the world. Many papers have been compiled, many books written, many surveys conducted. An entire lifetime's dedication to the wildlife of Africa. Perhaps you used to watch Orphans of the Wild on television, starring Viv in the main role, together with Marshall Thompson of Daktari fame. I believe the world owes it to Viv Wilson to ensure his lifetime's work continues well into the future & that it does not go down with the rest of the country. Unfortunately, right now, it is doing just that.
Living in Zimbabwe, the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali are really taking the strain from politics, in which they play no part. Much of what we have here today is as a result of the continued & valued support of our Visitors, Adoption Sponsors & Donors.
This is a plea for further help in those areas
Ways in which YOU Might Help...
• Friends or family might like to Adopt one of our adorable Orphans for themselves or for a loved one.
• Perhaps a car boot sale or auction being held could donate its proceeds to the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali.
• Your local Sports Club or School might like to adopt an Orphaned Animal as their Club Mascot!
• Perhaps you know someone who is writing a book & who might be prepared to offer a small percentage of the proceeds as a contribution.
• Maybe the local children in your area might be keen to organise fundraising events in their Schools, the proceeds of which could go to our Orphaned Animals.
• A local community group such as The Lions, The Rotary Club, a gardening group, sporting groups, or other such groups of people, might wish to fund a single project, perhaps to refurbish an old, or build a new, Animal Enclosure, whereupon we would place a plaque on it stating that your Club paid for that particular venture.
• You might be prepared to fund maintenance of & repairs to our research Vehicles (mostly Land Rovers), or the fuel used for our many valuable research expeditions into the National Parks of Zimbabwe.
• Perhaps you know people (young or old) who might like to join our Overseas Volunteer Programme, be it for a week or some months, & experience hands-on contact with African Wildlife, whilst at the same time financially supporting Chipangali.
• Or your Club might simply wish to make a Donation.
We very much look forward to hearing from you &
Hope that you are in a position to help us at this time.
With warm Regards from the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali
http://www.chipangali.com
A Plea for Help from the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage in Zimbabwe, Africa
ChipangaliWildlifeOrphanage is a Sanctuary for sick, injured & orphaned animals of Zimbabwe, Southern Africa. Based on the outskirts of Bulawayo, we have just celebrated our 30th Birthday. "Chipangali", meaning Open Friendly Country, was set up in 1973 by Vivian & Paddy Wilson & continues to be run by this wonderful couple to this day, together with their son Kevin, his wife Nicky & a staff of around 40 Zimbabweans. An entirely barren 20 hectare piece of land saw the start of this great venture & since then a lot of hard work, dedication & determination have gone into building this wildlife haven.
Chipangali has overcome all the many obstacles laid in its path over some extremely harsh years & is currently home to over 250 animals, birds & reptiles, including leopard, lion, cheetah, hyaena, birds of prey, antelope, crocodile, the endangered black rhino & wild dog, & many more besides.
But day to day living in Zimbabwe is now becoming an increasing strain on one & all. It has been a struggle for a long time of course, but Chipangali has always managed to work through each situation with strength & determination. But we have reached the point where we need to ask for financial assistance from our good friends, the animal loving public.
Tourism is pretty non-existent, so we are having to rely heavily on our local impoverished population for financial support, which is simply not enough. Our own Government quite unbelievably offers us no support. Electricity charges have just risen by a staggering 400%, just in the last month alone, which has come as rather a horrific surprise to the Wilson family, as well as to the nation as a whole. Telephone charges have just doubled, again this past month alone. These increases are not new; they have been occurring on a regular basis for many months now & always without warning. Just as people think they are doing OK, they receive a single bill demanding more than their monthly earnings. Foodstuffs double, triple or even quadruple at the supplier's discretion at any time. People's salaries may have doubled in the past year, if they are lucky, but none have tripled or quadrupled. Our rate of inflation currently stands at over 1,000%, with the cost of borrowing at over 600%. As you might imagine, this is utterly unlivable & unworkable for everyone striving to survive in this beautiful country.
Chipangali's Bush Camp is quiet & does not bring in the financial support it once did; our Curio Shop is rarely visited, those few visits rarely ending in a purchase being made; our popular Tea Room remains unstocked since before Christmas, thus no revenue can come from this valuable source; our number of workers remains the same, as a necessity, but morale is incredibly low due to the low wages available to give them & the high cost of living, thus resulting in very low performance in work in all areas of the Orphanage. Theft is an ever increasing problem we suffer. Our animals are very hungry. We need help in order to survive this difficult period.
The founder, Viv Wilson...
Viv Wilson is Zimbabwe's answer perhaps to David Attenborough. A great conservationist since a young boy, Viv has taken on many remarkable challenges throughout his life & now in his early 70s, continues to do so. Aside from his great achievements working with animals, his work in the field of research throughout much of Africa is also widely known throughout the world. Many papers have been compiled, many books written, many surveys conducted. An entire lifetime's dedication to the wildlife of Africa. Perhaps you used to watch Orphans of the Wild on television, starring Viv in the main role, together with Marshall Thompson of Daktari fame. I believe the world owes it to Viv Wilson to ensure his lifetime's work continues well into the future & that it does not go down with the rest of the country. Unfortunately, right now, it is doing just that.
Living in Zimbabwe, the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali are really taking the strain from politics, in which they play no part. Much of what we have here today is as a result of the continued & valued support of our Visitors, Adoption Sponsors & Donors.
This is a plea for further help in those areas
Ways in which YOU Might Help...
• Friends or family might like to Adopt one of our adorable Orphans for themselves or for a loved one.
• Perhaps a car boot sale or auction being held could donate its proceeds to the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali.
• Your local Sports Club or School might like to adopt an Orphaned Animal as their Club Mascot!
• Perhaps you know someone who is writing a book & who might be prepared to offer a small percentage of the proceeds as a contribution.
• Maybe the local children in your area might be keen to organise fundraising events in their Schools, the proceeds of which could go to our Orphaned Animals.
• A local community group such as The Lions, The Rotary Club, a gardening group, sporting groups, or other such groups of people, might wish to fund a single project, perhaps to refurbish an old, or build a new, Animal Enclosure, whereupon we would place a plaque on it stating that your Club paid for that particular venture.
• You might be prepared to fund maintenance of & repairs to our research Vehicles (mostly Land Rovers), or the fuel used for our many valuable research expeditions into the National Parks of Zimbabwe.
• Perhaps you know people (young or old) who might like to join our Overseas Volunteer Programme, be it for a week or some months, & experience hands-on contact with African Wildlife, whilst at the same time financially supporting Chipangali.
• Or your Club might simply wish to make a Donation.
We very much look forward to hearing from you &
Hope that you are in a position to help us at this time.
With warm Regards from the Orphaned Animals of Chipangali
http://www.chipangali.com