Shaylee the injured female Langur monkey has just spent her first day in with Phooka and puck in the outside pen. This is something we thought never to see after days of worry over her health. She suffered several small strokes and at one time was completely blind and paralysed down one side, and unable to move herself about. It seemed this was the end of her struggle but while we considered that euthanasia was the only kind option, she started to show small signs of recovery. Over several days and nights of constant nursing, improvement continued up to today when she has regained most of the use of her limbs, and her eye sight has returned to the extent that she was able to join the other babies in the nursery pen during the day. During most of the time we have had her she has had to be carried around by John or a volunteer and has been hand fed and drip fed water. Now she is able to see, she was taken on a lead to practice climbing in small trees and finding her own leaves too. This has also encouraged her in the use of her previously paralysed limbs and was a perfect therapy in her healing. We are hoping that there will be no more setbacks from her injuries and that her movements and sight will continue to improve. A couple from Finland who were staying as volunteers here put in the most hours of Shaylees care, but had to leave in order to catch their booked flight home in two days. When they phoned just before departure from the Airport, they were thrilled to hear of her very unexpected recovery.
The other baby Langur, Ella, is also doing well physically but is not yet sleeping soundly between feeds at night, simply because she hasn’t learned to suck her thumb! Actually it’s a finger, as their thumbs are too small. She would naturally spend the night attached to her mother’s nipple, and orphans quickly learn to suck a finger instead for comfort, but not Ella. She has a dummy, but the disadvantage is that she stops sucking and looses it in the bed 100 times a night. Having lost it she then considers she’s been abandoned and starts to panic and scream, until I get up, shake everything out and restore it, in desperation I am going to try dipping her finger in honey, and hope she clues up!
