Chiquita the cheetah
We managed to get her into the vet on the same day we noticed that she was ill but unfortunately the vet diagnosed her with a kidney failure and we made the decision to put her to sleep. We could see that she was in a lot of discomfort and this was the best thing to do. Samira shared an enclosure with Chiquita and is doing fine. The volunteers have been spending a lot of time with her to keep her company.
Bobby the baby baboon
Bobby is an orphan and he came to us on February 12th after being very well taken care of by a local family.
The family found him lying on the ground clinging to his mother who had been shot dead and took him into their care. After a few weeks, they quickly realised that keeping a baboon as a pet was not a good idea. They had little children and they knew the baboon would soon get out of control. It was a wrench for them to let Bobby go, but they know he is in safe and loving hands here at N/a'an ku se. Bobby needs your help! If you would like to sponsor him, please click email donations@naankuse.com
Zebras and donkeys!
Frankie and Benny are our baby zebras!
On 17th Feb our first baby zebra arrived. He was found on a farm a couple of hours away on the other side of Windhoek. At one week old he got caught in a farmer’s fence. The farmer managed to get him free and kept him by the fence all day for his mother to return, but she never came. The farmer named him Benny and looked after him for 2 weeks before calling us. Marlice and four volunteers drove to collect him and held him close and safe in the back of the Landcruiser all the way back to the farm. When he arrived back with us, we were all very excited to meet him and we weren't the only ones - the meerkats were incredibly curious to find out what this new arrival was...
Poor Benny had damaged the back of his leg in the fence, tearing his skin leaving the whole bone exposed. Marlice treated it with antiseptic and fortunately it has now healed. He had been on a diet of
cow's milk which gave him diarrhea, so we switched
his diet to a special formula specifically for foals, fed him some lucerne and he soon got
stronger. Initially we built him a stable inside the chicken pen where he slept at night sheltered from the rain in the evenings. During the day he wandered around the farm very contently.
As Benny is a mountain zebra it is important to keep his hooves shaved and sharp so he has grip on stone surfaces. Shaving the hooves of zebra is no easy task and required the teamwork of Marlice, Flo, Jo and Gemma to hold him down. Benny did not enjoy this particular process but he will have to get used to it as it will be a regular part of our animal care for him.
On on 1 April we were joined by another baby zebra - who we named Frankie! He was found a couple of hours away with a very similar story to Benny - he had been caught in a fence and abandoned by his mother. He was only around 1 or 2 days old when he arrived and is really healthy and full of life. He is much stronger than Benny when he arrived and is constantly running around the farm at a fast pace, almost crashing into people!
Both Benny and Frankie now live in an enclosure with Donsie our new baby donkey. We are trying to bond them with our herd of cows too so that ultimately they will protect the herd whilst they graze.
Sylvie
When the baby caracals, Rocky and Ivy, were on the loose they were causing mayhem in our farmyard at night and were responsible for hunting one of our baby peacocks and several rabbits. We therefore decided it was in Sylvie's best interest to keep her safely tucked away in the chicken pen during the nights, so that she didn't fall victim to the same fate. Sylvie, however, didn't quite agree and each night volunteers would wait patiently for her to voluntarily walk into the pen.
Eventually she got used to the routine and we fortunately managed to catch the caracals and relocate them to Neuras where they were set free, away from any farmyard animals. Now Sylvie is back to roaming around the farm happily and freely each night.
Eventually she got used to the routine and we fortunately managed to catch the caracals and relocate them to Neuras where they were set free, away from any farmyard animals. Now Sylvie is back to roaming around the farm happily and freely each night.
Meerkats
Our group of meerkats, including Kara, have been venturing out and about more recently. They have chosen on a new hangout place, namely our new airstrip. Our airstrip is not only used for Rudie to fly his plane but also doubles up as a stretch of road, so their move to this area posed a few problems for our car drivers. We had to ask our security guard on the main gate to warn each and every guest that arrived to drive slowly and look out for the meerkats!
They were also the focus of attention by a German film crew which visited us recently. They were filming some of our animals for a children's TV programme - and who can resist falling in love with our little meerkats? Kara has grown so big, she is no longer the baby of the group anymore!
Lala the Dog
Lala continues to be N/a'an ku se's worst guard dog as she is much happier sleeping on Elzette's bed or in the staff bathroom block. She now even ignores Jaki who continuously barks at anything and everything and barely lifts up her ears in response. She recently enjoyed a fun day out at the Cheetah Dam where she, Jaki, Alfie our Jack Russell puppy and Bobby the baby baboon joined the volunteers for a day of swimming and boat rafting. Except our Lala was too afraid to go into the very murky water and stayed safely on the water's edge.
Alfie the Jack Russell
Alfie was born in early January and arrived on the farm aged 9 weeks old. He lives with Pisces, a 16 year old Jack Russell who looks like his Mummy. Every day he spends time with his best friend a Labrador called Sabu and also visits with Bobby the baboon. He is full of energy and loves living on the farm. He is a dream baby who sleeps for 8 hours each night but he is FULL of energy during the day.
Alfie was born in early January and arrived on the farm aged 9 weeks old. He lives with Pisces, a 16 year old Jack Russell who looks like his Mummy. Every day he spends time with his best friend a Labrador called Sabu and also visits with Bobby the baboon. He is full of energy and loves living on the farm. He is a dream baby who sleeps for 8 hours each night but he is FULL of energy during the day.
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| Twins! |
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| Alfie and Sabu |
Ore
Our loveable bat eared fox got the shock of his life a few weeks ago when Senior Baboon Nemo joined him on Cila's stoop. Nemo was sick with a life-threatening bacteria infection and was removed from his camp for a bit of R&R and so Cila could keep a close eye on him. Fortunately he pulled through, but for a few days he stayed in a transport cage on Cila's stoop, next to Ore's house. Ore, in a way only Ore can, ran around the cage bewildered by the lethargic baboon and then soon decided he wasn't very interesting and went back into his house!
Bella the Goat
Our loveable bat eared fox got the shock of his life a few weeks ago when Senior Baboon Nemo joined him on Cila's stoop. Nemo was sick with a life-threatening bacteria infection and was removed from his camp for a bit of R&R and so Cila could keep a close eye on him. Fortunately he pulled through, but for a few days he stayed in a transport cage on Cila's stoop, next to Ore's house. Ore, in a way only Ore can, ran around the cage bewildered by the lethargic baboon and then soon decided he wasn't very interesting and went back into his house!
Bella the Goat
Bella is still happy and content with her fellow sheep and goat and in particular hangs around with Edie and Edie’s 1st born, Bee Bee. She
still thinks she belongs in the volunteer area and would happily move back up
to Dara's house if given half a chance. 2Pac (aka evil goat) might have something to say about that though as he has chosen Bella to be one of his many girlfriends.
