Book-stealing baboons and massages for dogs: Meet NZ’s Mother Theresa for animals

Sunbathing by the pool one afternoon on a volunteering gig in Namibia, Louise Morley opened her eyes to find a notoriously aggressive baboon eyeballing her from the end of her lounger.

A talented escape artist, the male baboon had a habit of jumping through the electric wires of the wildlife reserve he called home at breakfast time, and busting into the staff kitchen to help himself to food and cutlery.

“He appeared aggressive if you tried to send him away like the staff told us to,” the 41-year-old Auckland-based Pet Refuge shelter manager said. “He would run at you and bare his big teeth, and only the baboon handler was able to control him. He was a feisty boy and certainly scared a lot of the volunteers.”

When she encountered him by the pool, he grabbed the book she was reading and ran around with it, screaming at her in what she thought was an effort to make her chase after him.

“Needless to say he kept the book and destroyed it,” Morley said. “Thankfully he didn’t attack me, and I certainly never slept by the pool again.”

With a mother who owned an animal sanctuary in Wales for more than 30 years, Morley grew up helping take care of rescue cats, dogs, horses and chickens. She worked part-time for a vet and in a wildlife park while studying animal care before heading off on a big OE, which included an eye-opening stint backpacking through China and Southeast Asia.

“In China it broke my heart to see the food stands selling dogs as meat,” she said. “You could choose your own animal, and they would cook it for you. In the outback it was normal to see dogs and cats hanging up for meat while their babies ran around below.”

The sight of elephants begging for money on city streets, monkeys dancing for tourists, injured animals struggling to survive on the streets, and people selling keyrings containing live sea creatures also tugged at her heartstrings and left her feeling helpless, prompting her to look into volunteering opportunities overseas.

Her first volunteering trip took her to Borneo, where she helped out for two weeks in a rehabilitation centre for rescued orangutans and sun bears.

Staying in a lodge amid a tropical rainforest, Morley and her fellow volunteers completed tasks such as cutting down bamboo to make “enrichment” (sense-stimulating items and activities such as puzzle feeders and climbing frames) for the animals, making a hammock for an orangutan, and fixing enclosures.

“It wasn’t an easy holiday – there was certainly no lying around sunbathing – but it’s one I will never forget,” she said.

“We got to watch baby orphan orangutans with their foster parents playing and feeding, and learn about the culture, the rainforest and the use of palm oil. We took a daily boat trip out to the small islands to hand over treats to the apes from a safe distance. They’re memories I will cherish forever.”

Morley was touched to see the bond that had formed between sanctuary workers and the orangutans, some of whom would swing through the treetops in excitement when they appeared.

“Over time, the apes became familiar with our voices and called out to us when they could hear us arriving in the morning for feeding time,” she said.

It was such an enriching experience, she went on to volunteer at the Bali Animal Welfare Association in Ubud, where she managed a house containing about 30 rescue dogs.

Noticing that smaller dogs and puppies often missed out on the food, mainly rice and vegetables, that was thrown to them, she moved them to a separate area at feeding time. Helping the vet when needed, she also walked the dogs in the rice fields each day and watched them play together, taking the time to gain their trust.

She became particularly close to a dog who was paralysed at his back end, she thinks as a result of a car accident.

“I did daily massages with special oils and used coconut oil on his bed sores,” she said. “We used a sling to help mobilise him and stretch his legs… He loved sitting on the seat in the sunshine with me, but as soon as it was food time he would sprint off to be the first to get a feed. He was quite the bossy dog of the house. I heard he was adopted to an amazing family in the UK a while ago, which was so lovely to see on their Facebook page.”

Morley then went on to volunteer at a wildlife reserve in Namibia which rehabilitated injured big cats, primates and wild dogs, staying in a small onsite hut which proved a pretty wild experience in itself.

“I could hear lions calling at night, and the baboons would wait for the opportunity to get into a hut to destroy and steal what they could,” she said. “The bathroom and cold showers were some walk from the huts so it was always a challenge when it was dark knowing I was in Africa and not knowing what waited for me outside.”

Busy mornings of feeding the animals and cleaning were followed by afternoons spent making enrichment, taking the baboons for their daily walks, or horse riding to the giraffes.

Highlights of the two-week trip, for which she saved for a year, included spotting a herd of white rhino feeding while on patrol with the anti-poaching unit, and feeding the hyenas and big cats, while her encounter with the book-stealing baboon ranks among the most memorable.

Morley is now pleased to be able to help animals on a daily basis through her work at Pet Refuge, a charitable trust which provides temporary shelter for pets affected by domestic violence, caring for them until their owners escape the abuse.

“My favourite part of my job is knowing we are all making a difference,” she said. “I love the challenging pets that come into our care, and we take the time to gain their trust. Giving the best care and treatment to them and seeing them being reunited (with their families) as happy and confident pets – this is my “why”.”

To support Pet Refuge, visit petrefuge.org.nz or call 09 975 0850. Donations help ensure animals have a safe, warm place to sleep at night, enrichment, exercise and, if needed, vet care, and animal behaviour therapy.