Zimbabwe Seven

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 22 2009 | By: zimbabwe7

This weekend I witnessed for myself the true state of where Zimbabwe is heading.  I was scared, worried and saddened by what I saw.  I had no idea where this country, which we all love so much and want with all of our hearts to regain her honour and pride, now stood.  Dogs have become a form of barter trade.  Yes, domestic dogs are being bred and then swopped for chickens, grain and other basic commodities.  With this being a fact, there is no chance of trying to get the breeding and disease control under hand.  We are moving from poverty to chaos!  These animals are just ribs with big wide eyes! They have an empty void to the depth of their souls and stomachs, which only food might have a vague chance of filling.  At first I was angry that anyone could allow an animal to be reduced to this state.  But then as more and more children arrived, with their animals, I realized that they had come from miles around for their animals to receive treatment – and that is a form of empathy. They too have the wide-eyed stare with empty bellies, and are not too sure of where their next meal might be coming from or when it might be.  So how could I, a person who eats three meals a day, has a warm bed to sleep in and can drive to my Doctor at the slightest feeling of an ailment, be anyone to judge!?  No, I have no right to judge but I do have a right to be concerned and to care.  If I could have had my way, I would have wanted to humanely euthanize at least half of the animals we saw and returned home with the other half.  Neither option was possible, so we did our best to bring some comfort to the animals and hope that with a follow up and further assistance, these animals which we saw and treated, have a chance at improved conditions and health.

This has been a project which I have wanted to undertake ever since I learned what the impact of domestic dogs on wildlife was, especially of the small mammals which the Tikki Hywood Trust dedicates its time to saving, who are being hunted and killed by the ever increasing number of feral and domestic dogs – country wide.  These dogs only have one purpose, hunting. There is no consideration for the devastating effect of the diseases they transmit, especially rabies. With this in mind I wanted to start a vaccination project against rabies and also to try and educate the people on how to respect their animals, as well as take care of them.  The excessive breeding I believe is totally unnecessary, and needs to be addressed if wildlife is going to stand a chance in areas outside of privately owned land and/or National Parks.  Since the land invasions, there seems to be no follow up on vaccinations, as well as an increase in the number of dogs owned by households.  We found that one family had more than 12 dogs!  Law and order regarding domestic pets, has like everything else in Zimbabwe, fallen by the wayside.

Masvingo is the largest province in Zimbabwe, with the Bikita area being the largest rural district of this province. More importantly, Bikita borders two of Zimbabwe’s largest conservancies both the Chiredzi River Conservancy and the SAVE Valley Conservancy.   The Tikki Hywood Trust has a vested interest in the SAVE Valley Conservancy, as we have released animals there, and hope to release a further three serval cats later this year.  The domestic dogs in the Bikita area are forming packs and been taken into the conservancies to hunt indiscriminately. If we can get this under control, the impact on the conservancies will be immeasurable: fewer dogs means less hunting and less exposure of the wildlife to rabies and other disease.

I have so often heard that Africa is not for the meek and mild, this statement could not have been closer to the truth over these past few days.  We were concerned that the response to our offer of assistance would be limited, that we would only see around 30 or so animals and that it might be a plan to go into the villages to see if we could vaccinate and treat the animals from house to house.  Well, our assumptions could not have been further from reality, we were inundated with people and animals alike.  Our doors opened at around 11am, it was a total shock to look outside and see this massive queue forming! There were dogs and then more dogs, tethered with any form of lead, starting from tree bark, to plastic plaited into a rope, and then even electric cable!  Then there were the sacks, and inside these sacks were cats, yes cats!  I wanted, to scream and shout at this absurd way to carry any animal (except for a snake perhaps) but I had to stop myself as I realised that there really is not much else you can transport a cat in – as not everyone in the rural areas have cat boxes or crates!?  By late afternoon of the first day we had seen over 200 animals from dogs to cats, rabbits to guinea pigs.

With every dog of the right age, we spoke to the owner and asked if we could sterilize the dog or bitch. Since most of the animals were brought in by the children of the household, very few could consent without their parents’ permission.  There was resistance to the idea of sterilization, as these dogs were becoming a form of golden goose and providing a form of income.  One owner has over 12 dogs, four adults and eight puppies, or rather furry rats!  My heart was torn open a little more with each animal I treated, wondering what on earth was to be their fate after this.  I had to bite my tongue not only at the condition of the animals but at the lack of education on how to take care of them.  Every dog that arrived at the clinic was covered in fleas and ticks.  Some animals were much worse than others, but all animals including the rabbits had fleas.  The first 100 animals received rabies vaccination and there after dogs and cats were de-wormed, de–flea’d, and given tick grease in their ears.

How the project started:

We drove to Bikita Minerals on Thursday 15^th October 2009 and had an evening meeting to discuss the procedure and setup for the duration of the project. Then early the following morning, Friday 16 October 2009, we prepared the two rooms at the mine which were to be our clinic for the weekend.  By 11 am, everything was scrubbed and sterilized, machines were set up and make-shift operating tables put in place - we were ready to see patients!

Having been concerned that there might not be enough animals to make the project worthwhile, we had no need to worry – in fact we now needed more helpers!!!  The first dog was a bitch named Nduku, a six month old, black mixed rural dog.  She was very under weight and this proved a problem when administering the drugs.  Xylazine (Rompun ©) was the pre-med given and then Thiopentone (Thiobarb ©) as the anaesthetic. Once the animal was then properly sedated, they would be put onto the Isofluorane anaesthetic machine.  However, a slight complication with the drug Xylazine is that it suppresses respiration and with this side effect, and the fact that this little girl was underweight, we had our very first complication on our very first surgery: Nduku just stopped breathing!  Well you can imagine my heart stopped at the same time. We most certainly could not kill the first patient of the day – without doubt this would break the fragile tendrils of trust that the owners and potential patients outside had developed for us!  With a large dose of panic and CPR (using my mouth to nose re-breathing technique), Nduku revived none the worse for wear and we were able to continue with the sterilization. I am delighted to report that Nduku recovered and is now back to normal without the worry of having to breed!

The next bitch to come into our clinic was a very aggressive bitch who wanted to bite everyone including her owner.  Finally, with Biko’s powers of persuasion he could administer the pre-med as well as the anaesthetic.  Due to the fact that she was at a more stable weight, her operation went unhindered and she was off the table in 30 minutes and placed in one of the recovery crates.

After the two operations and the midday sun increasing the temperature to at least the high 30’s, we decided that we must start vaccinating the dogs waiting outside.  So, after each patient’s details were taken, the owner and their ‘pet’ arrived on the table to receive the ‘full–house’ treatment.  Each dog provided his or hers own story behind their eyes.  What story of hell did these animals have to tell and was there really any way that we could impact on their lives?  This project was to reduce the breeding rate as well as bring relief to each animal we treated.  As the dog now represented a new form of ‘money’, there were not going to be as many sterilizations as we had hoped for.

 Over the bustle of the crowded clinic and the noise of so many people, I heard Blessing talking about tsuro (rabbit).  My ears pricked up and I was all interest and dread at the same time. To those who perhaps do not understand, rabbits are my passion, and the thought of what could be wrong with them and how they were being kept had worried me ever since I started thinking about this project.  Well, I am delighted to say that I did not have too much to be concerned about.  The first five rabbits arrived in a cardboard box.  Besides the ever-present fleas, they had no mites and were in good condition.  I nonetheless wanted to see where they had come from, and how they were being kept if it was not too far away from the clinic and I could spare the time.  The first owner led me with great glee to where his rabbits were being housed.  It was perhaps not the way I would have kept my rabbits, but it was not bad at all except for the amount of dirt and manure which had built up over the years!  So I said I would supply the disinfectant if he removed the cage and cleaned everything up and removed all the manure.  I also explained that rabbits are very clean animals and do not like to be dirty.  For this reason it was very important that he made an area in the cage as the ‘toilet’ with sand and or soil, using the other side of the cage as the sleeping chamber for the rabbits with fresh grass and bedding.  Keen to please as well as have his rabbits de-wormed, he followed my instructions to the letter and two hours later I returned with him and his rabbits to their fresh, clean newly arranged home.

The clinic closed late that afternoon, with only enough time for us to disinfect and sterilize the equipment, which would be ready for the next day’s clinic and surgery.  It was a long and successful day.  At closing, we had estimated that we had seen more than 200 animals.  That meant that at least 200 animals, were de-wormed, had less fleas and ticks and a chance of hopefully putting on some weight in the near future.  The saddest of sights on day one however was a young bitch, whose ears were so full of ticks that I am surprised she could even hear.  She must have been in a lot of pain or discomfort as when I gently held her ear to paste on the tick grease she did not try to bite me or even moan, she must have known we were only there to help.

For me seeing the cat in the sack was heart wrenching.  One female cat arrived in a sack, totally motionless.  On opening the sack, I saw a tortoise shell coloured female cat, her eyes were thick with yellow mucus and on closer inspection she was very pregnant!  I took her to one side away from the dogs, got cotton wool and wet it; carefully I started to wipe away the muck from her eyes.  She never once tried to escape or even scratch me, inside this very loud tractor purr could be heard emanating from her.  After I had done the full house on her and placed eye ointment into her eyes, I felt sick having to replace her back into the hot sack.  Even though life for any mammal is difficult in this area, I do think it could be a little easier for the feline species who are usually quite self-sufficient, so that was some comfort to me when I handed her back to her owner and asked if he could go straight home!

Day two arrived and it was business as usual.  We set the clinic up and then started seeing patients.  As we had had such a turn-out the day before, we did not think that there would be many animals that would be coming in today.

This was not to be the case!  By 10 am, there were owners and dogs all lining (or rather milling around) outside waiting to be seen.  In addition to the usual cats, dogs and rabbits there were also some donkeys.  The Donkey Trust has recently been in the area running a clinic, which resulted in a huge amount of interest and at one of the education days over 400 people turned up.  So it was good to see that the donkeys were in good condition and all we had to do was use grease for the ticks and vaccinate for rabies.

At a particular moment on day two, I happened to wander over to the shade where we had asked the owners to wait with their animals.  I wanted to see what we would be dealing with and how many dogs were to be operated on.  No sooner had I started talking to the owners, I noticed two dogs that were in very good condition, and so asked their owner “what was it that he was here for?”  He casually replied “I want my dogs vaccinated for rabies as they were fighting with a rabid dog yesterday”.  Ok, this was way more than I could deal with, so I tried to remain calm and walked back to Biko, informed him of the gentleman’s story.  Biko’s answer was that the dogs had to be destroyed!  In the short time we had been in Bikita we realised that that was not likely to happen.  So Biko went back to where the dogs and their owner sat and explained how dangerous rabies was.  That it was too late for his dogs to be vaccinated unless they had already been vaccinated within the last year (which of course they had not been) and by being here it would put all the other people and animals at risk.  My mind was spinning at the thought, of just how easy it is for rabies to spread and before you know it both animals and people are infected!

We managed to bring the owner to the realisation that being in a public place with so many other dogs was not sensible, and he returned home.

The first panic of the day was over, Blessing had arrived and so had the chief’s dog for the first spay of the day.  The sterilizations were to be done first and then the full house vaccinations, which unfortunately excluded rabies as we had run out of doses.  The chief’s bitch was rather under weight and after Nduku’s experience the day before, we were all eyes on her to make sure that everything flowed smoothly.  First operation went well and we rolled straight on to the first castration.  Once the 4 sterilizations were over it was time to open the doors to the outside patients.  As with the day before, the dogs and puppies kept coming.  Your heart breaks at so many of these animals’ condition and the thought of what is their fate to be.  The romantic myth of Africa seems to all but disappear when you are faced with the realities on the ground.  I drove away from Msarasara Village with a very heavy heart, and tears in my eyes.  The innocence of being a puppy or kitten or child for that matter does not exist right now here in Zimbabwe.  We can be safe and sound, warm and fed in our worlds but out there, there is a totally different scenario and not a pretty one.  We will return in January 2010, to hopefully a few less animals and those that remain in a healthier state – I have my doubts, but one thing which we Zimbabweans are very good at is hoping!

This project has taken a lot of planning, organisation, co-operation, drive and dedication, all in very large doses! None of this would have been possible if a group of like-minded people and companies had not offered their unwavering patience and support to the Tikki Hywood Trust in the final realisation of the events that took place at Msarasara village, Bikita. So it is only fitting that we offer an eternal debt of gratitude to the following organisations, companies and people who helped make it a reality:

·        Bikita Minerals, their staff and management for hosting the project and their continued support and understanding in the necessity to further educate about animal husbandry within the Bikita area.

·        Blue Cross, ZNSPCA for their belief in the project and for supplying the much needed rabies vaccine and further drugs required for such a project.

·        Chisipite Veterinary Surgery (Taps) – for advice on how to source soda lime for the anaesthetic machine.

·        Colonial Scales (Australia) – the donation of the scale to Tikki Hywood Trust has proved invaluable for this project.

·        Dr Biko Gadaga (Voluntary Veterinary Surgeon) – who willingly gave of his time and knowledge to help the domestic animals of Bikita.

·        Dr Blessing Mutangira (Voluntary Veterinary Surgeon) – a resident of Bikita, whose care and dedication to the Bikita animals and people is never-ending.

·        Dr Petros Luefi (Veterinary Surgeon) & staff at Borrowdale Lane Vet Surgery - his fantastic support, advice and knowledge when it came to sourcing equipment and materials required to undertake such a project.

·        Helen Nortier – voluntary vet assistant.

·        Julia Brebner – advice on Isofluorane machine & supplying the soda lime with discount

·        KDB Holdings – supply Endo-tracheal tubes at a 50% discount

·        N. Tselentis P/L – donation of material for surgical drapes, mutton cloth and cotton wool for the operations

·        Papageorge Family – donation of Isofluorane anaesthetic machine which proved invaluable to this project and the safety of the dogs we operated on.

·        The People of Bikita who took part in this project and were prepared to come from far and wide, to make sure that their animals had treatment.

·        Wildlife Vet Unit – assisting with the importation of the drugs from Worldwide Veterinary Services.

·        Worldwide Veterinary Services –Without the help of this organisation, the project would not have taken place, as it is a registered UK charity (no. 1100485) that supplies veterinary resources, in the form of volunteer teams, drugs, equipment and advice to help animal charities and non-profit organisations around the world.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 13 2009 | By: zimbabwe7

Dear Readers,

Spring is the universal herald of new life, no matter what hemisphere you are in and there is certainly no change in that formula here at the Tikki Hywood Trust. A mere two days later to the date of last year’s spring arrivals, our next generation of hedgehogs have arrived like clockwork! Our first litter of 3 arrived in the afternoon of Friday 18^th September 2009 and two days later another three litters, 8, 3 and 2 to three mothers respectively.  This is the 2^nd generation of captive bred hedgehogs born at the Trust and it certainly seems that we have cracked the formula. However, we still are a little shell-shocked at how prolifically our hedgehogs seem to pop them out!

Our last blog was rather sad to say the least what with having to implant all the animals (except the hedgehogs), to prevent them from breeding.  It has to be said we did not quite expect the amazing explosion of hoglets that we were to receive!!!  The first seventy-two hours is always a nerve-wracking experience with new hoglets, and in this case what made it even more complicated was that the first birth occurred in a communal enclosure with eight female hedgehogs and it was not immediately apparent who the mother was! There in a nest of hay lay three very ugly (yes, hoglets when they are first born are incredible ugly), hoglets. Eventually we were able to determine the birth mother, and we were impressed to note that it was Beatrix. She had three litters last year, so not only has she proved to be very fertile but she also has raised her young well.  We removed Beatrix & babies straight away from the main enclosure that had seven other lady hogs.  We put her in a smaller enclosure, so that she did not feel pressured by the other hedgehogs and could focus on raising her young. 

However, the following day turned out to be even more surprising to find that at approximately the same time as the previous day another three mothers gave birth – all in the same place! It was not an easy task sorting these three litters from each other but we managed to do so, and each mother was placed in an isolated and secluded place in which to raise the young. The mothers were then closely monitored over the next 48 hours.  The first day went well and Beatrix and the other females proved to be diligent mums.  On the third day things start to go a little wrong.  When inspecting the first litter of hoglets in the morning, we noticed that two of them had been badly bitten and were not lying close to Beatrix.  This could have be as a result of two things; one, the babies could have had a congenital and or hereditary defect which is why Beatrix was trying to kill them, or with the stress of being moved she was now uncertain of her new environment. The first result was the one we feared the most, and so we removed the two babies and decided to attempt hand raising. We removed the smallest, weighing 10g and the one that seemed to be the most bitten, which weighed 16g.  We also decided to try a new milk formula called ESBILAC©, which had proved highly successful for the bat-eared foxes and is a completely balanced and vitamin enhanced formula. Getting the hoglets started on this milk was not a difficult task, they readily took to it and after about the fourth feed came to associate the curved syringe with food.

However, after a few days we noticed that although their spines were growing, their bodies were not developing and in fact their weight had dropped. 

The babies were removed on 21^st September 2009. The smallest one appeared under developed at birth and so prognosis was not good to start off with. We unfortunately lost this little on the following Saturday, 26^th. He had dropped 2g in weight from 10g to 8g at the time of death. The larger one of the two survived until 1^st October 2009 and during that time the weight fluctuated 2g either side of the initial weight. Her final weight at the point of death was 2g heavier, but in comparison to the other hoglets the same age that were suckling naturally, she was a third of the size. We are happy to report that the remaining hoglets with their mothers are exceptionally happy and healthy.

Beatrix has successfully raised her one remaining hoglet who we have nick named Sharpei as with all that extra milk from mum, has become a huge Rolly Polly and looks just like one of those Sharpei dogs!

The female who gave birth to 8 is Miss Tiggy, who also bred successfully last season having had two litters. However it is very difficult for the mother to cope with so many babies seeing as she only has six mammaries and eight mouths to feed. Unfortunately two of the babies did not survive, and this goes to show how nature has a way of balancing out at times. One of our main concerns with large litters is a condition in the mother called “milk fever”.    

Milk fever, or post-parturient hypocalcemia, is a disease, which is characterized by reduced blood calcium levels. It is most common in the first few days of lactation, when demand for calcium for milk production exceeds the body’s ability to mobilize calcium reserves.

“Fever” is a misnomer, as body temperature during the disease is usually below normal. Low blood calcium levels interfere with muscle function throughout the body, causing general weakness, loss of appetite, and eventually heart failure.

To prevent milk fever we automatically administer an injection of Calcitad, which is made up of Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus. This boosts the mother’s available calcium, prevents and treats milk fever and avoids the potential of taking the babies away.

One of the younger females, who was also a first time mother, developed milk fever on the fifth day after giving birth (although she only had two hoglets and lost both at 3 days old). She was very wobbly and lethargic, so she got a shot of Calcitad and we placed her in an outside enclosure where she was surrounded by the other female hedgehogs. In my experience with working with wildlife, once an animal gives up the desire to live there is very little you can do to reverse that decision for them.  But, by placing them with other animals of their own kind you hope to stimulate that survivor instinct!  It worked, and she is now doing well and has fully recovered from her ordeal of pregnancy, giving birth as well as getting milk fever.  Such a lot for a small mammal to contend with!! 

So to date we have an addition of nine healthy hoglets with three respective mums.  They all have remained with their mothers and are doing well.  We will wean them once they are on solids, at approximately 6 weeks and then, habituate them to outside enclosures in preparation for release in Esigodini, an area in the south of the country where we are developing a hedgehog release site. 

Stay tuned for more prickly updates as they happen!

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