When the South Florida SPCA was told about Bubba, they found a starving camel with collapsed humps.
Even though the South Florida SPCA Horse Rescue rescues horses, they also rescue and house livestock, which includes chickens, ducks, pigs, lambs, and now, camels. That’s why, without hesitation, they took in Bubba. But Bubba’s recovery will take a while and they still need to bring him to a sanctuary, where can roam freely.
Challenge accepted for South Florida SPCA!
First things first, they needed to increase his weight.
Bubba was so skinny that his two humps collapsed because there was no fat. They needed to feed him 60lbs of food every day. The problem is his teeth are so bad that it hurts to eat for Bubba. They called in their vet who immediately worked on fixing his teeth.
Once that was done, Bubba had no problems eating. The problem was to find the food that he would actually eat.
SPCA board member Julie patiently worked with Bubba. She offered him different treats to see which ones he’ll like. She’d clean up the barn around him and just go about with life as usual. All this time though, Bubba was just watching her, curious about her next moves.
Eventually, Bubba learned Julie wasn’t going to harm her and looked forward to seeing her.
He became so comfortable at the farm that he let his guard down and Julie noticed his habits.
“When he goes down to rest, he would roll his head around the sand, like he was giving himself a bath,” Julie shared. “And then he’ll yawn like five times in a row with his mouth open wider than my head. And then he’ll roll over and pass gas.”
He’s definitely comfortable now!
After a few months of living at the SPCA, Bubba made friends with the other residents. He’d share food with them and he’d also play with them.
Julie finally discovered what treats Bubba liked to eat and they were horse treats. After that, it became easier to feed him and the weight gain started. His coat shone and no longer looked matted. And his humps were finally gaining fat again!
Once he reached his ideal weight of 1400lbs, they knew he was strong enough to be transferred to his future and last home, the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Texas.
It’s a long journey so Bubba needs to be in optimal shape to make the journey.
Bubba arrived during the night at the Black Beauty Ranch and was met by Christi, the Wildlife Team Lead at the Ranch. They let him walk out freely and call the shots.
Before he could live freely at the ranch, they had to quarantine Bubba first for 30 days as part of his adjustment period.
And when that was over, he was actually skipping towards the truck and to his forever home.
“He’s gonna have choices. He can go as he pleases, he can sit in the sun and relax and eat as much grass as he wants to. He can interact with the other animals. He has all these choices that he never had before. He’s gonna have freedom,” Julie explained.
When Bubba came out of the truck and stepped on the grass and saw nothing but grass, he ran and jumped. He was so happy.
Bubba’s finally home.
Would you like to see Bubba’s healing journey? Watch the video below.
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