Update from Keith: Hi all and especially
to those who have supported me in this challenge both financially and
with words
of encouragement. After a nice weekend at lake Malawi feasting on
delicious
fresh food including my fair share of steak and chicken I started my
veggie bush
tucker challenge on Monday with trepidation. A diet of lots of eggs,
potatoes
and beans has followed without too much trouble if you discount
flatulence. I am
writing this on Wednesday as we prepare to go back to Lilongwe tomorrow
for a
charity fun run at the weekend where the temptation at the after run BBQ
will
surely test my resolve but not break it. I shall let you know how I
fair and promise to
keep my bowel movements to myself on the next
update.
Yours truly, Keith
Thompson
Hello
All,
In
honour of National Vegetarian Week and to support the fantastic work of The
Monkey Santuary Trust I have accepted their Veggie Challenge and for one whole
week, 24
th – 30
th May, not a scrap of meat or fish will
pass my lips, which as anyone who knows me will realise, will be incredibly
difficult.
What
makes the challenge even more tough is that I am currently working on a Primate
Release Programme based in ,
, . I am 60km from the nearest shop and due to the
heat keeping fruit and vegetables fresh in this environment is almost impossible
therefore locally reared chicken and fresh fish form the basis of my daily
diet.
Due
to our limited internet access Liz Tyson of Wild Futures will be managing this
page on my behalf, but I will endeavor to supply frequent up dates on how I am
fairing.
Please
support me on this personal challenge and to raise money for an exceptional
cause by sponsoring my Veggie Bushtucker Trial!
Wild
Futures offers sanctuary to ex-pet monkeys in need of a safe home for life.
Their newest arrival is Josh the capuchin. Here's his
story...
On
the 5
th May 2010, a small and frightened capuchin monkey named Josh
was introduced to his new home at the Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary in
. His
new enclosure overlooks the territory of the centre’s existing residents - it
was the first time he had seen another capuchin in over a decade. 19 year-old
Josh has had a sad start to his life, but staff at the rescue centre hope that
this new chapter will be a long-overdue happy ending for the little
monkey.
Josh
was born in the to feed the growing trade in
primates as pets and has been re-homed four times in his life. Moved from place
to place as his natural behaviour became more difficult to cope with, he was
taken on by a family whose misguided love for this intelligent animal led to him
being kept alone in an enclosure for years on end. Ultimately, and for the last
three years, Josh has been housed in a children’s zoo in the North of England
after he bit his owner so badly that the man lost permanent use of one of his
hands. Local officials assessed the zoo when Josh first arrived and recommended
that improvements be made to Josh’s enclosure and that opportunities for him to
be integrated into a social group be sought. The zoo paid no heed and Josh lived
alone in his small cage, devoid of any environmental enrichment.
Said
Macer Parton, from the Wild Futures Primate Welfare Team:
“Josh’s
plight came to the attention of local police following a damning exposé on the
zoo in question. They contacted us as soon as the news broke to ask if an
emergency rescue could be carried out. Our centre, which specialises in care and
rehabilitation of ex-pet monkeys, already offers sanctuary to 24 others; we were
pleased to take Josh on to join our ever-growing troop of capuchins. “
See
http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2010/tweddle.html for more information on the investigation carried out by The
Captive Animals Protection Society
Updates
from the man himself (Keith, not Josh - Josh can't write) coming
soon....
Thanks
for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating
through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe
with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you
donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid
is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a taxpayer. So
it’s the most efficient way to donate – and raise more, whilst saving time and
cutting costs for the charity.
So
please dig deep and donate now.