A newborn baby, named Caleb Hope
© Stef Krüger, VolksbladA newborn baby, named Caleb Hope, is treated in a Bloemfontein hospital after being discovered on a rubbish dump, full of bites and with his umbilical cord still attached.

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

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

"He is 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.

Bite marks

ER24 paramedics found the baby boy with its umbilical cord still attached to the placenta. He was hypothermic and struggling to breathe.

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

Madelaine Cornelissen, spokesperson for the Shiloh Zoe Hope Trust in Bloemfontein, 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 were investigating.