new rescued baby anteater

We have just received a new baby anteater at rainsong this morning.

here's her story:
people's unrestrained dogs continue to wipe out the anteater population in our region of Costa Rica.
the latest victim of this shameful situation is a tiny little anteater brought to rainsong just this morning from the malpais area.
her mother was torn to shreds by a pack of dogs, just last night,
causing this tiny little anteater to be spontaneously aborted prematurely as the mother died.
the noise of the fight as the anteater mom fought to save herself from the dogs aroused people nearby to get up out of bed and investigate the ruckus.
they arrived in time to save this tiny little creature from the dogs.
now it's up to the rainsong staff and volunteers to save this poor lil' orphaned baby anteater.
we have set up a small incubator, with a heating pad below the blankets to keep her warm.
we are carefully giving her 1 1/2 cc's of soy-based baby formula [for humans] every half hour.
the most dangerous challenge when trying to save infants of any species, bird or mammal or reptile,
is the risk of aspiration, liquids spilling into their airways and lungs.
this can cause immediate death, or a long slow agonizing death from pneumonia.
so the formula has to be given from a syringe with a special nursing nipple attached,
carefully tucked into the corner of the mouth, as far from the nostrils as possible.
the plunger of the syringe has to be pushed very slowly and gently to deliver just a few drops of liquid at a time,
giving the infant plenty of time to swallow.
with such a tiny little baby anteater, this procedure is extremely delicate.
anteaters' mouths are small and quite narrow, even in adults.
within a few days the baby should learn to seek out the nipple for sustenance.
the first days the baby has to be forced to drink the liquid from the nipple on the syringe.
the greatest care must be taken to not squeeze too much liquid into the baby's mouth at once.
we gained much experience with saving anteaters when our 'anti' was brought to rainsong, also newborn, almost 2 years ago.
two other very important factors is keeping the baby's body temperature warm, don't allow them to get cold, that's fatal.
also, if they begin to struggle because they are frightened by their circumstances, it is soothing to hold them in a blanket close to your chest, so they can hear your heart beat.
this is very comforting for any creature newly come into this world from the safety of the womb.
slowly rocking your body, or rocking in a rocking chair is also very calming for all infants, human and others.
it is important not to let them struggle, they will use up their reserves of energy, and could become lethargic, and lose body heat.
loss of body heat is very critical and life-threatening.
giving them a furry stuffed animal to cling to will also give them a sense of security and they will be less panicked by the strange situation.

we introduced our 'anti' anteater to the baby this morning, and both were very interested in each other.
we are happy that 'anti' will have an anti-playmate soon, once the baby gets past this most critical time of the first month or so.
'anti' will make an excellent big sister !

altho it is very necessary that all babies have their mother's milk, especially in the first 2 weeks of life, to acquire all the enzymes, antibodies, and other important elements provided by the mother's milk,
we have saved many very preemie babies already at rainsong, of various species.
we have the highest hopes that we can save our new little baby anteater.

we also ask that all you fellow planetary guardians out there light a candle and keep one lit for the next few days,
asking that the anteater guardian angels help us here at rainsong with the somber awesome task of saving this lil' baby.

and would all you people down here in Costa Rica take note, and control your dogs !!!
before ALL the anteaters are gone !
fence your yard, build a kennel compound, install security devices instead of using a pack of dogs for guards, hire a night watchman [for hotel complexes and cabinas],
whatever option works best for your circumstances,
but PLEASE control your dogs to save what wildlife is left !
the arboreal central american porcupines are also being wiped out by peoples' unrestrained dogs,
along with many other species... kinkajous, armadillo, raccoons, possums [a very important element in the food chain], the tropical pygmy skunk, etc...

please, let's care for mother nature !