Colobus Trust

Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, Progress report, volunteer | Date: Nov 02 2009 | By: colobus

Bahati the bush baby has been with us for about 3 and a half weeks now- he is doing very well and things are looking up. He has started feeding on solid foods lately which is a good sign; he particularly seems to like bananas and papaya a lot. At least every volunteer at the trust takes turns to feed him everyday because he needs to be cared for and feed every 3 hours. Bahati has recently learned how to jump which is very impressive and he is gets better by the day. We have built him a wooden house, where he spends most of his time these days. We are all glad that we have been able to provide a home and the necessary love and care that he needs, and hopefully he will grow up to be a healthy self reliant bush baby who will take his rightful place in the ecosystem.

We will keep you informed about how Bahati is faring on in the near future.

Thanks,

Mavinya

Colobologist

Tags: bush baby, Colobus Trust, diani, Galago senegalensis, Kenya, Rescue, volunteer

No responses yet

Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, Progress report, volunteer | Date: Oct 27 2009 | By: colobus

We have been nursing the two infant bush babies that were rescued here in Diani. They were so young that at first we were not sure whether they would both survive but we decided to try anyway. The first bush baby, who we eventually named Bahati (meaning luck in Swahili), was about 3 weeks old; the other one, who we named Gizmo, was about 2 days old. We all knew it was going to be a challenge, primarily because at their tender ages they critically need maternal care. We quickly included them into our daily schedule which meant they were always with someone who was feeding, cleaning or monitoring them. This was an eventful task because they had to be fed every 2 hours, 24 hours a day, needed to be watched and we also had to massage their genital area to facilitate defecation.

Everybody at the trust had already started to create a bond with Bahati and Gizmo, and they had become very comfortable around us but unfortunately the young Gizmo passed away last week after a week with us. He was just too young to survive without his mother’s care. We will continue to provide 24 hour care for Bahati who is doing very well and we will let you know how he is getting on.

The Colobus Team.

Tags: bush baby, Colobus Trust, diani, Galago senegalensis, Kenya, Rescue, volunteer

One response so far

Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Progress report, volunteer | Date: Oct 16 2009 | By: colobus

There were two surprise arrivals at the Colobus Trust this week in the form of infant Bush Babies. The first, and larger of the two, was brought to the trust by a concerned resident of Diani, who had discovered the Bush Baby abandoned on his terrace. Only a day later, another bush baby found its way into the house here at Colobus Trust. It was Rob, one of the volunteers, who should be credited for rescuing the bush baby. Rob heard an unusual clicking sound coming from the education centre. On investigating, he found Nala- our resident cat- playing with the Bush Baby a corner of the room. Had it not been for Rob’s sharp hearing, the infant, which we believe to be just a few days old, would certainly have been eaten. Fortunately, Rob was able to pull Nala away before any serious harm was done.

Above: The elder Bush Baby resting on Polly

Being nocturnal the Bush Babies (we believe these are Galago senegalensis) spend their day sleeping either in a large cardboard box along with a soft toy acting as a comforter, or held in a kikoi with one of the volunteers.  As luck would have it, the two bush babies are getting along together very well and could not be happier when snuggling up to one another for a nice long sleep.

Above: The second arrival!

While Polly has taken the role of mother for the babies, everyone is doing their part in helping to feed and look after them. We are giving the Bush Babies round-the-clock care in order to ensure their survival and hope to be able to release them into the wild eventually.

Please feel free to post any suggestions for their names, or alternatively email them to info@colobustrust.org- we’d love to hear them.

Stay tuned for their progress!

The Colobus Team.

Tags: bush baby, Colobus Trust, Galago senegalensis, Kenya, Rescue, volunteer

One response so far

Category: Blogroll, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Oct 09 2008 | By: colobus

There are many people without whom our work would have never been possible, I hope one day to mention them all. One of these people is our vet Dr Alan. Dr Alan only recently moved to Diani, but has quickly built up a strong bond with all of us at the trust. Although we use several vets, dependant on the situation, Dr Alan has become our main source of call. Not only because he is an excellent wildlife vet, with a wealth of experience, but also because he has been kind enough to never charge us for his services. This gesture means a lot to us as currently we are being hit hard by a lack of volunteer bookings (which supply a large amount of our funding and workforce). We hope that by telling you of the wonderful work he does we can go somewhere towards paying him back.  Together with Dr Alan we have treated many cases. Including a successful one on Tuesday this week where we rescued an old female Sykes Monkey who had been hit by a speeding car. On arrival it seemed like there was little hope, she was bleeding profusely out of her ears, mouth and nose, but she was breathing steadily, so we acted fast. After collecting her we rushed to pick up Dr Alan. Having had to abandon his shopping trip Dr Alan proceeded to analyse the monkey’s condition on the way back to our vet clinic. She had taken a nasty hit to the face, had lost a few teeth and was bruised all over. It was very clear however, that this monkey was a tough one! She had lost a hand and the cartilaginous part of one ear to an earlier incident that we assume to be an electrocution. However, after Dr Alan’s treatment and continued care from our staff she made a quick recovery and was eating and drinking by the end of the day. Now, three days later, she is well on the road to recovery (photo below). We hope that after a few more days’ observation she will be ready for release. We will keep you updated on her progress.  So, we would like to take this opportunity to extend a massive thank you to Dr Alan. His kind nature, expertise and generosity are invaluable to us and we look forward to learning much from each other in the future.  Thank you Dr Alan, from all at The Colobus Trust!

Tags: Dr Alan, Monkey, Rescue, Sykes Monkey, Vet

3 responses so far