A Cape Town man was recently pleasantly surprised when he returned home from Johannesburg with an unexpected hitchhiker. 

Cape of Good Hope (CoGH) SPCA’s spokesperson, Belinda Abraham, said: “Most festival-goers head back home with sunburn, memories, and a string of selfies, but one Capetonian returned with something very unexpected indeed.

“While unloading cooler boxes, folding chairs, and baggage following a 1,400km trip from Johannesburg, a Cape Town man found himself staring at something he had definitely never packed. And it stared back at him with big, round, rather bewildered eyes.

“The tiny little hitchhiker was a lesser bush baby, and he was very far from home.”

The bush baby was immediately taken to CoGH SPCA’s Wildlife Unit, where the veterinary team gave him a full check-up. 

“Apart from a slightly confused expression and an appetite to match his energy, he was in excellent health. But there was a serious problem. Lesser bush babies do not naturally occur in Cape Town. Maurice, as he was named, was the only one of his kind in the Mother City, separated from his home and his family by more than a thousand kilometres,” said Abraham.

With help from the Johannesburg Wildlife Vet, the collaborative efforts were able to pinpoint the very colony Maurice had strayed from near Fourways. 

With permits to travel secured through CapeNature, and the support of Airlink, Maurice was given the gift of a flight back home just ahead of South Africa’s Heritage Day celebrations.

“What a wonderful tribute to the day it was to send Maurice back home, and how better to celebrate it than with a show of unity for the protection of our natural heritage. Maurice has since touched down safely and will soon rejoin his family,” said Abraham. 

Bush babies have a curious form of territory marking by urinating into their cupped hands and marking what’s theirs.

So, out and about in Cape Town, there’s one car that, by bush baby standards, is still owned by Maurice.

“Go well, Maurice, and thank you for bringing us all together in compassion, in generosity, and in national pride,” said Abraham.

Abraham said when animals like Maurice are accidentally transported outside of their natural range, releasing them into unfamiliar habitats is dangerous.

• Threats to biodiversity: Non-native animals can compete with local species, upsetting delicate ecological balances.
• Disease risk: Stowaways may carry pathogens harmless to themselves but harmful to indigenous wildlife.
• Survival challenges: Without their colony, familiar food sources, and safe habitats, the chances of survival are slim.

The safest, most responsible option is always to contact the SPCA’s Wildlife Department for assistance.  

Call the Wildlife department on 021 700 4158/9.

Fascinating facts about bush babies

• They are named for their distinctive call, which sounds like a baby crying.
• Their enormous eyes allow them to see in near-total darkness.
• Their powerful hind legs let them leap up to 2.5 metres in a single bound.
• They are nocturnal and spend the day curled up in nests of leaves or tree hollows.
• They use scent-marking (yes, even on cars) to claim their territory.

chevon.booysen@inl.co.za

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