Wani Care Foundation

Here an update about how Gede the Surili is doing. Unfortunately today March 30 we had to amputate the tail of Gede. Till so far there was not any progress in the recovery of his tail. He still had no feeling in it, couldn’t move it, blood circulation was bad, more and more wounds where coming up on his tail, and the top of the tail became black and hair was falling out. So we decided to amputate the tail of Gede. The operation went well, without complications.

The recovery in his left leg is going a little better. His upper leg he can move well.

But we are still worried about his under leg and feet. In here he has no feeling/reflex and he can’t move it. Because he can’t move very well and is sitting the whole day he has now pressure sores/wounds on his bottom, unfortunately these wounds getting worse!

About the chance if he ever can clime again we are still not sure! We decided to go on with the medical treatments (medicines, physiotherapy and massage) for two more weeks and then we have to make a decision about what to do with Gede. If there is good progress in his leg then we will of course go on with the medical treatment but if not then we are scared Gede will never be able to clime again. And do we have to make the decision to do euthanasia on him. This would be terrible and so sad, but we have to think about his wellbeing. In the way it go’s now it is not good for him. He can barely move, can not clime, the only thing that he can do the whole day is sitting, eating and sleeping! We do our best to give him the best treatment and to keep him busy with food and enrichment and for a wile this is fine particularly if he is making progress and we are sure that he will clime one day again. But if not we have to think of his wellbeing. He is a wild monkey who should be able to clime in trees, swinging around and have a happy live. So we can’t let him life the rest of his live like this; just sitting in a cage without moving/climbing around.

I hope with whole my heart we don’t have to make this difficult decision and that he will make progress in the next 2 weeks.

Will be continued…

At the beginning of January 2011 PPSC received a juvenile Leopard cat (Felis Bengalensis) from the organization JAAN. They confiscated the Leopard cat from a private owner. We gave her the name Storm. After medical check-up and medical treatment here in Cikananga we gave Storm a nice cage and did observation on her to see how her natural behavior was; happily her behavior was still natural/wild and was she scared of human. After 3 months here in PPSC we decided that Storm was ready for release. Friday 25^th March we released her in the forest of Gunung Beser near at Cikananga. When we opened the door of the transport box Storm ran into the forest and was gone. We even had no time to make a picture of her. As always when we release an animal it was a great feeling to see the animal back in his natural habitat.

On Sunday 6^th March we received a telephone call from the forest Ranger of the Pangrango National Park about a Grizzled leaf monkey (Surili) that they had found. They wanted to see if we could help.

The monkey had a shot wound in his back and was unable to use his back legs. Our vet and primate keeper went immediately to the national park to see how the Surili was doing and brought it with them back to Cikananga. At Cikananga we started immediately with the medical examination on the Surili who we give the name Gede. The clinical findings were; a shot wound in the back next to the vertebra, his left leg and tail where paralysed but we couldn’t find any fracture, also was he dehydrated.

After the clinical finding we started with the medical treatment; intravenous fluid therapy (drip) for the dehydration, explore the wound in his back a little bit more to see if we could find the bullet, who we couldn’t find! After all the medical handling we cave Gede a cage in our clinic so he could rest. The next day we went with him to a hospital in Sukabumi to take an x-ray to see if there was any fracture in his body that we didn’t find with the medical examination that we did on him and to see if we could find on the x-ray the bullet. On the x-ray we did not see a fracture but thought we find a bulled in his abdomen. Back in Cikananga we decided not to remove the bulled, this because we don’t exactly know where it is in his abdomen and to operate him will damage maybe more then leave the bulled in him. We had before more animals with bulled in their body, the body will accept the bulled and will bind it in with connective tissue. About the paralyzing we where still not sure why; or a nerve in the vertebra was damaged by the bulled, what mend that he will be always paralyzed at his left leg and tail or that it is temporary because  of the fall he made out of the tree.

We started with daily physiotherapy and massage and now after 2 week we saw a little progress, his upper leg moved a little better but his tail still not yet, he also do’s not feel anything yet in his food but we hope also this will come back.

Last Monday (21 of March) we had two visitor here in Cikananga; a veterinarian nurse and a vet both from England. The Vet also took a look at Gede and did examination on him se thought there was maybe something wrong in his pelvic. On the x-ray we made before the pelvic was not so very clear so it was difficult to see if there was something wrong. So we took him again to the hospital to make a good clear x-ray from the pelvic. But also on this x-ray we could not find a fracture and we also saw no bulled! So the bulled we saw on the first x-ray we made the first time was probably something ells, anyway it looked very much like a bulled in the first place! This means there is no fracture, no bulled so the conclusion now is that Gede probably paralysed from the fall he made out of the tree and that he hopefully can fully recover again. We will go on with the physiotherapy and the massage and hopefully he will get better. For the rest he is doing fine, eating well and his wound on his back is good recovered.

This story will be continued….

After receiving funding from the Humane Society International we created a rehabilitation pen for otters. As you may have read in our last update we started a new project; SERO (Supportive Environments for the Regions Otters) to provide a safe rehabilitation space for otters with the aim of reintroduction back into the wild.

The new pen is finished and it really is an amazing place! The large pen can be divided into two smaller pens if needed, so that we can make two groups of otters in the future if we receive more animals. The area is a very natural place with trees, bushes, large fish ponds and caves where the otters can nest. This is to stimulate their natural behavior and to prepare them to be reintroduced back to their natural habitat. Reintroduction is our ultimate goal.

Connected to this new otter pen there is also a quarantine building with a smaller pen outside, where new otters can be introduced and socialised with the group. This quarantine building can also be used to give the otters medical treatment or to catch them if necessary.

We moved our Short Clawed otters Nessie, Lensi and Merci to their new area. At first they were very overwhelmed about their new space but they quickly investigated everything started enjoying themselves; curios as they are! They are doing well and seem very happy in their new pen.

We are hoping to rehabilitate many more otters in the future and release them back to their natural habitat.

Emma Hankinson, Project Coordinator from Orangutan Health project visits us on Thursday 2-12. This after I received an email from Emma that se would like to visit us to share information with us about orangutans and the work OHP is doing. Emma heard about PPSC and Wanicare from one of their volunteers (Rosey Gurr) who was also a volunteer here in Cikananga last April 2010.

Orangutan Health Project is a long term research project. The primary focus is to understanding how wild orangutans combat parasitic infections. Parasite infections can and do affect everything from health to reproduction and fertility, and ultimately survival. Understanding preventive and curative methods in wild orangutans will aid rehabilitation programs in the future to teach possible reintroduced orangutans health practices similar to those of wild orangutan populations in surrounding areas, thus enabling a higher chance of survival once reintroduced orangutans are on their own in the forest.

Main research:
* Relationship of orangutans self medical behaviour of the elimination of parasites and illnesses
* Differentiation and specification of chosen parasites
* Seasonality of parasites
* Relationship between age, sex and parasite infection parameters
* Cross infection between humans and parasites

OHP do their study/research in Sumatra; Gunung Leuser national park, Bukit, Ketamble, Suaq and in Lawang where they having also their research station.

It was very interesting to meet Emma and her friend James who works as ecology in the UK.
We shared a lot of information and hopefully we can help each other in the near future. OHP is also hoping to use their data to improve the health of captive orangutans. In 2001 they did implemented a feeding trial at Singapore zoo. After 6 months, the parasites loads of the orangutans were greatly reduced, and the zoo has continued with the food stuff’s we suggested.

This we will do now also with our orang utans Noni and Dodo. Emma gave me some samples to collect the faces from Noni and Dodo in. OHP will do research on this and they will give us advise on the diet of Noni and Dodo. For us this means whey can improve their health and for OHP it will give more information about the research they do.

Would you like to have more information about Orangutan Health Project please look on their website: www.orangutan-health.org