June 3, 2008 - Journal Entry

The struggle to preserve life so often feels like a losing battle. Yesterday, one of the babies from an older troop was grabbed from his mother through the fence by a wild male. The male probably would have killed it if Stephen hadn't intervened. When they brought the baby into the sickbay, I was in the next room washing bottles out and I saw it. There was a lot of blood. I hope the baby will be okay. I feel like this whole thing has been a slap in the face for me. A harsh reminder that these are still wild animals and that most of the time, life isn't fair. Every one of these babies who I've come to love so much, ultimately has a sad story. They shouldn't have to be here. I think that in all of the excitement of actually being in Africa, I had forgotten why I actually came here. This isn't about me. It's about helping to give a second chance to these ultimately innocent animals. I need to stop complaining about my own discomfort and remember my calling. There is a reason that God made my heart so sensitive to the well being of His creatures. I have a job to do and this is a part of my training.

I just spent an hour sitting in Rita's living room with the baby who was snatched. His name is Augustus. He's adorable and so sweet. He lip smacked me a lot and seems to be doing much better. They are keeping him in a cage until his wounds heal and then he will go back with his troop. He was calling (wahooing) for them, but otherwise he didn't seem too stressed. He was drinking milk and even ate a few grapes that I gave him, but only the meaty part. He would chew on the grape and then spit out the skin. At the end of the hour, we took the whole cage and put it into the smalls hok so that he would have some company.

So today went well, except for afternoon cleanup which was pretty awful. And I have it again tomorrow. But we had pizza for dinner which was nice. Sue went into town and picked it up for everyone. She also picked up a new volunteer named Gabby. She seems cool and I'm getting along well with everyone else. And with the hok change it's a much friendlier atmosphere all around. Jasper is still being a baby but I don't feel bad anymore. The baboons are getting to know me better, as are the people. And two weeks left to go is starting to sound like a really short amount of time. I went down to the beach with Holly and Liz today which was nice. We saw two giraffes walking on the beach across the river and a crocodile too. My hair is really dirty but I haven't had time to wash it yet. But all in all things are going really well.