Responding to a distress call, the Bloemfontein SPCA thought they were going to rescue a small monkey. To their surprise, however, they found a large baboon trapped inside a storeroom.
The incident took place at a local stadium in Botshabelo where community members saw the primate running around. When the SPCA arrived at the scene, they were informed by a group of men that the “monkey” was inside a storeroom.
“When we tried to enter the storeroom, we could hardly open the door. It was full of old, broken chairs and garbage. While we were looking for the monkey inside the room, we realised it was very wet inside and that the room was flooded with water, about 10cm deep,” the organisation said.
Upon close examination, the SPCA discovered that the primate was a terrified baboon. “He was hiding underneath the chairs, in the water, holding his hands and shivering. The sight of the animal in such distress was heartbreaking.”
Seeing that baboons are not easy animals to catch, the SPCA called in a veterinarian to help them sedate the animal to bring it to safety. When the vet examined the baboon later on, he found signs that the animal had been kept in captivity and most probably was someone’s pet.
The baboon, now called Rafiki, was taken to the Riverside Wildlife Rehabilitation and Environmental Education Centre in Tzaneen, which is regarded as the safest place for him to be. The SPCA had to drive about 904 km to take Rafiki to his new home, which set them back about R7000, including fuel and treatment. Donations to cover these costs will be highly appreciated by the organisation. For more information, call the BFN SPCA on 051 447 3801.
Pierce van Heerden
