Phase 1 Rehabilitation; Baby baboon orphans arrive at various ages in an array of conditions from life-threatening physical conditions, deep trauma and depression, ex-pets with complicated behavioural issues, through to relatively healthy just very young (it is often easiest when the baby is too young to remember fully their trauma).  For each individual the rehabilitation program is tailored, however, the general pattern follows our well designed rehabilitation, nutritional, veterinary and animal welfare policies and procedures.

Our Onsite Veterinary Clinic: All orphaned animals get a full health check on arrival in our onsite Veterinary Clinic by trained and experienced staff.

Nursery Quarantine:  We have a purpose build Nursery Quarantine, offering the orphaned baby baboons a nurturing, safe and stimulating area to heal and gain confidence and strength.  After a Veterinary Assessment, in our onsite Veterinary Clinic, the baby baboon orphan is cared for in the  Nursery Quarantine; here the baby will have a care-giver 24/7 to ensure they remain calm and keep anxiety to a minimum, enabling the baby baboon orphan to heal. The Nursery Quarantine allows the orphan to learn natural behaviours such as grooming, playing, foraging, and communicating in 'baboon-language'. Trained care-givers will always be present and the baboon sounds from the troops are always present; a reassuring sound for traumatised babies.

Foster Mother: When the orphan is around 9-12 weeks old they enter the 'Bonding Process' where they are adopted by a baboon surrogate, foster mother.  In our onsite Bonding Enclosures which are designed to facilitate a stress-free, calm and successful bonding of foster mother and orphan baby. It is a tiring process for the care-givers but incredibly rewarding once the trust between foster mother and orphan is established and the baby is adopted and loved by their own kind once more.

Understanding Infant Nutrition: Under the age of 4 months, baby baboons will rely primarily on milk. We provide a specialised milk formula for orphans along with a natural foraging selection such as seed pods, lots of vegetables (some steamed), seeds, nuts and leaves.  Infants are mostly curious and playing with their foods, their main nutrition comes from a good milk formula.  Fruit is mostly avoided since it can be acidic and mixed with milk in their tummies can cause acid reflux, where stomach acid backs up from the stomach into the esophagus and causes esophageal inflammation, which can lead to scarring and narrowing over time. Acid reflux and it associated issues can be caused also by using the wrong milk formula and providing cold milk.  Which is why it is so essential for infants to arrive at the centre as soon as possible, to ensure we can provide the right nutrition.  Many infants are also sensitive to lactose, meaning a more expensive lactose-free milk formula base is needed to prevent immune-system issues which can lead to itchy skin conditions and an inability to thrive and settle.

Adoption into a Troop: Orphaned baby baboons which have successfully been adopted by a surrogate baboon foster mother will then be returned to the adult female's troop. Usually, the rest of the troop behave as if the adult female has had her own baby and are very excited and protective of the new troop member from the beginning.  Knowing the troop members, their hierachy, their personality and friendship bonds helps us to plan smooth integrations and safeguard against jealousy and we may hold some troop members back for a short period whilst the baby builds friendships and trusted bonds with safe troop members; ensuring a network of protection for the precious little baby.

Rehabilitation for Release: We have released hundreds of baboons successfully back into the wild. Although we are not pretending it is easy and it has a lot of complexity and challenges, along with a strict criteria for the release area and the individual is also assessed to ensure they are a suitable release candidate. The rehabilitation journey is designed to ensure the baboons are as wild as they can be and have their place in the hierarchy of a natural, cohesive troop structure.  We have a hands-off policy once the baby baboon is adopted by a surrogate baboon mother, meaning care-givers no longer interact to the baboon orphan (no touching, talking, facial communications) to ensure the orphan no longer seeks attention from humans.  Male orphans, as long as they weren't kept as a pet and raised by a baboon surrogate mother have an additional release opportunity; since in nature males move from troop to troop (whereas females remain in their troop for life), it means that if the male has been successfully rehabilitated, he at sexual maturity may be able to be released into a wild troop. This has worked well for a number of males over the years.  

Unreleasable baboons: It is the case that some baboons are psychologically damaged due to being kept by people for too long in a pet or laboratory setting and they never adjust to become a baboon which can be released; we will continue to treat them as a releasable animal, and when the troop they are part of are due for release we will consider integration into another troop at the centre if they are not a safe release candidate.  We stress the importance of baboons entering the rehabilitation journey as soon as they are found in need of help, to ensure they have the best chances of a normal life.