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Baby abandoned on rubbish dump

Locals found him and phoned emergency services - Now he has a name and is receiving treatment in hospital

A newborn baby boy found wrapped in a blanket at a rubbish dump near an informal settlement in Bloemfontein is doing well in hospital.

Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic spokeswoman Amanda Appelgryn said the child, named Caleb Hope, was in good condition and breathing on his own.

“He was on antibiotics due to the environment he was found in.”   

Workers at an informal rubbish dump near the JB Mafora settlement discovered the baby on Saturday afternoon and phoned emergency services.

ER24 paramedics found the baby boy with the umbilical cord still attached to the placenta.

He was hypothermic and struggled to breathe.

Appelgryn said the baby had bite marks on his skin from ants while he was lying at the dump.

Spokeswoman for the Shiloh Zoe Hope Trust in Bloemfontein Madelaine Cornelissen said it was expected Caleb would remain in hospital for the next seven days for observation.

“In the meantime we, in collaboration with the department of social services, would be looking for a place of safety for the boy.”   

The Shiloh Zoe Hope Trust is a non-profit organisation giving free help to unwanted babies and their mothers in Bloemfontein.

Cornelissen said they preferred to place the baby directly at a place of safety, with a family.

Police are investigating.

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