This baby aardvark was down on her luck. She was recently orphaned and showed up at the Zuri Orphanage in Namibia dehydrated and covered in sores, reports The Dodo.Erika de Jager is a veterinarian and runs the small animal shelter. She took in the animal, who was estimated to be around four to six weeks old.
Source: ZURI Orphanage
At first the aardvark, who she named Gertie, refused to drink anything. But after three days, she finally got her drinking cat milk from a bottle to give her the right nutrition.She put Gertie in a dog bed to sleep, and even though aardvarks are nocturnal, she slept pretty much all day- and night- long.
Source: ZURI Orphanage
Now that she's a little older, around four months, she is a sweet playful girl.De Jager often goes to nearby farms to take care of the horses, and she brings Gertie along with her.The baby aardvark loves to play with the farm's two Jack Russel terriers, Krummel and Zettie.
Source: ZURI Orphanage
De Jager told The Dodo:
Krummel fell in love at first sight. She didn't leave [Gertie] alone for a minute. She followed her around everywhere. Sometimes dogs have a strong motherly instinct and will look after babies. I suspect Krummel is like this.
Zettie was a little scared of her at first, but now they are the best of friends.Gertie is still a baby, but when she's big and strong enough she will be released back into the wild.
Source: ZURI Orphanage
Gertie will be with us for still a long time. Even my staff are sad because she's growing so fast.
To follow along with the adorable baby aardvark and her adventures, you can follow along on their Facebook page.
H/t: The Dodo
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