Baby bearcat's second chance (From Your Local Guardian)

Baby bearcat's second chance

6:57pm Sunday 3rd August 2008 in

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My great grandmother once had a talking budgie that would say “it’s time for EastEnders Bertie” and, as a young girl, it was the most fascinating and obscure little thing I had ever seen living in a house.

But that all changed when I met a ball of fur called Sunti, living like a king at the home of a Chessington World of Adventures (CWA) zookeeper.

Sunti is an adorable bearcat that was rejected at birth and taken in by modern-day Doctor Dolittle Sonia Freeman, who has hand raised her ever since.

Keepers had no idea Sunti’s mother was pregnant until she gave birth on January 28, then left her young pup alone to grow cold and weak.

“The only way to save Sunti in that situation was to take her on myself. So, at two hours old, I took her home to care for.”

Zookeeper Sonia Freeman

“Her mum just didn’t want to know. The vets said to do what we needed to,” said Sonia.

“The only way to save Sunti in that situation was to take her on myself. So, at two hours old, I took her home to care for.”

The 40-year-old keeper is no stranger to taking in waifs and strays. Over her 23 years in the business, she has taken wallabies, pigs, lion and bear cubs under her wing.

Passion for animals

Sonia set out on a career in farming at the age of 16 and was always destined to work with animals.

She joined the Chessington team in 2003 after working with her parents at Woburn Safari Park for 18 years.

“I have a real passion for animals and I appreciate the importance of zoos. We are slowly destroying the planet and if it wasn’t for the work of zoos, a lot of animals would now be extinct,” she said.

Her dedication could not be more obvious as I watch her play affectionately with Sunti in the grounds of the zoo, teasing her with a woolly hot water bottle cover she has adopted as a comfort blanket.

Watching them play, it is easy to forget Sunti is such an exotic creature, naturally found foraging for food in the forest canopy of southeast Asia. Their bond is clear and Sunti has become one of the family over the months.

She happily plays alongside Sonia’s three dogs and four cats, giving a little growl or scream if she is not in the mood for fun.

She said: “My oldest dog Jip has helped me rear loads of animals over the years and he has been great at teaching Sunti how to socialise and giving her someone to cuddle up to.

“She has fitted in brilliantly.

“She’s quite low maintenance and only eats three times a day.

Three lion cubs and a wallaby

“She will give a little squeal when she wakes up, to let us know she’s awake and wants attention.

“She has calmed down a lot from when she was younger when she went through a stage of doing death rolls and flying at us.”

Compared with the three boisterous lion cubs Sonia once hand reared at her home, and a wallaby called Shaky Joe who had to be carried round in a rucksack all day because of his regular feeds, caring for Sunti is a breeze.

Plans are now being made for Sunti to move permanently into her own enclosure where a young male will join her at a later date.

Only time will tell if Sunti is able to live a normal life in the future and do a better job than her mother at raising her own cubs.

“I’ll miss her when she’s gone it’s for the best. It will be strange when her cage is empty and I’m sure I’ll keep going to check on her for the first few days but I know she’ll be fine,” Sonia said.