CARE: Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education

26/08/2026

South Africa’s primates are being massacred in their thousands. Body parts & skins sold and exported. This is not sustainable - nor ethical. Highly intelligent, social and sentient beings subjected to pain, fear & suffering.

“Government records reveal a substantial international trade in South Africa’s wild chacma baboons and vervet monkeys. Thousands of trophies and more than 1,000 skulls were authorised for export in just two years. Behind the statistics lies a largely unscrutinised system in which indigenous primates are converted into trophies, commercial products and international commodities.”

Shot, skinned, sold: SA’s enormous trade in wild primates;

There is an ethical failure embedded in the staggering numbers that sustain this vast, established market. We need to confront a moral question: what gave us the authority to turn living beings into c…

20/08/2026

We’d like to say a huge thanks to Prime CREW Wildlife for sharing a truly special and generous donation of Manuka Honey with us here at C.A.R.E.!
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The healing powers of this wonderful product is truly incredible and we previously wrote a scientific article on how a baboon named Huxley’s arm was saved and healed;
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Mota, Stéphanie & Alsworth, F. & Desmoulin, Amélie & Munro, Stephen & Dewhirst, Samantha. (2016). A case study of wound regeneration in a male Chacma Baboon. 10.13140/RG.2.2.21332.45448.
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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329923631_A_case_study_of_wound_regeneration_in_a_male_Chacma_Baboon

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It’s so special when organisations can share knowledge, help each other and learn from one another as each participate in a meaningful effort to conserve, rescue and save wildlife. Thank you Prime Crew, it’s truly appreciated.
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It’s so special when organisations can share knowledge, help each other and learn from one another as each participate in a meaningful effort to conserve, rescue and save wildlife. Thank you Prime Crew, it’s truly appreciated.
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14/08/2026

When it comes to orphaned baby wildlife, warmth can save lives.

Many orphaned babies arrive at wildlife rehabilitation centers dangerously cold. Providing safe supplemental heat while waiting for guidance from a licensed wildlife rehabilitator can make a critical difference.

If you find an orphaned baby wild animal:

- Place it in a secure box lined with a soft towel or cloth.

- Keep it warm, dark, and quiet, away from children and pets.

- Use one of the safe heat sources shown below, always placing a towel or cloth between the animal and the heat source to prevent burns. Ensure that the animal can move away from the heat source if it begins to get too warm.

- Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible for guidance on the next steps.

These simple actions can help stabilize an animal and give it the best chance of a successful outcome.

Wildlife rehabilitation is powered by people. Thank you for taking the time to help wildlife when it needs us most.

14/08/2026

Steve Smit, founder of Monkey Helpline, has died after a battle with cancer. We remember the ‘Monkey Man’ and his decades-long fight for wildlife.

14/08/2026

A terrible loss of an extraordinary human.
These words explain so much more about Steve. Steve was a man of action and made a huge difference to Animal Rights in South Africa.
Thinking of Steve and sending our condolences to his family and friends.

In Loving Memory of Steve Smit

The EMS Foundation is deeply saddened by the death of Steve Smit, a courageous, principled and tireless activist who was pivotal in the development of the animal rights movement in South Africa.

Steve’s activism began decades ago. In 1985, he founded the Front for Animal Liberation and the Conservation of Nature (FALCON) and later, in 2001, established Justice for Animals. He campaigned against the exploitation of animals in all its forms, including the ivory trade, canned hunting, live animal exports and cruelty towards wildlife.

Michele Pickover, Executive Director of the EMS Foundation, first interviewed Steve in 2003 while researching the animal rights movement in South Africa. That research was later published as the book Animal Rights in South Africa and marked the beginning of a long working relationship. Steve and Michele subsequently co-founded Animal Rights Africa, bringing together Justice for Animals, Xwe African Wildlife and South Africans for the Abolition of Vivisection in a historic effort to strengthen animal rights activism nationally.

Through Monkey Helpline, Steve became a fearless and compassionate defender of vervet monkeys. He responded at all hours to animals who were injured, trapped, orphaned or otherwise in distress, while challenging the prejudice and human-made dangers confronting urban wildlife. His work, however, was never limited to one species: Steve understood animal rights as part of a wider struggle against violence, exploitation and injustice.

In 2023, the EMS Foundation was privileged to support the acquisition of a permanent home for Monkey Helpline and the monkeys in its care - helping to secure the future of work to which Steve devoted so much of his life.

Steve will be deeply missed by his colleagues and the animal rights community he helped to build. He will also be missed by the monkeys and the many other animals on whose behalf he acted, whose lives mattered to him and whose suffering he refused to ignore.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Carol, his children and family and everyone who stood alongside him.

Steve leaves an immense legacy of courage, compassion and action. South Africa’s animal rights movement is stronger because he was part of it, and countless animals’ lives were changed because he cared enough to act.

12 August 2026

📸Michele Pickover and Steve Smit 2006

https://emsfoundation.org.za/in-loving-memory-of-steve-smit/