Baby Baboons: October Update

Carola

The baby baboons have been quite poorly recently with Rudie and Carola suffering the worst. Carola was distinctly out of character after she had a nose bleed and then for a week or so was very quiet and reserved.



She seemed to have very little energy, slept a lot and wouldn't play much during her daily walks with the volunteers, and mostly noticeably - she didn't bite anyone! Jo took very good care of her and fed her rehydration fluids and kept her with her overnight, Carola stayed very close to Jo the whole time. We took her to Marlice and on her advice, gave her antibiotics which seemed to do the job as she perked up again within a week.

A nasty cough also seems to have circulated amongst the babies with Rudie particularly picking up a very bad cough. He would cough continuously throughout the day and night which worried us all. At nighttime he was looked after by Wildlife Coordinator Elzette for cuddles and reassurance. We gave him some cough medicine on a daily basis for a week and fortunately his cough disappeared and he made a full recovery back to his normal playful self.

Rudie

The babies camp has had a bit of maintenance work done after the baboons' boisterous playing on their playground took its toll on the framework! Jo, Cila and Elzette went in armed with hammers, nails and saws to fix the broken swings and ladders. This is no mean feat when you have baboons jumping all over the things you are trying to fix and jumping all over you too!  

 

Elvis was particularly curious during the afternoon, stealing the hammers off Elzette, so Jo acted as a distraction cuddling the babies whilst Cila and Elzette tried to get on with the work. They now also have a waterhole of their own - we dug a hole into the ground for a bucket which will now serve as a permanent fixture. As soon as the bucket was filled with water they jumped straight in!

Shauna

The babies have also enjoyed a bit of a swim now the summer has finally come to Namibia. On several occasions we have taken the babies into the swimming pool where they proudly show off their water skills. The girls, Shauna and Carola, are probably the best swimmers but Elvis and Rafiki also love a dip in the water and are getting better every time. Come on boys, don't let those girls show you up!

Elvis

Elvis and Rafiki

Rudie