Zimbabwe Seven

Category: Past Newsletters | Date: Aug 05 2008 | By: zimbabwe7

Four months have passed, and our country still remains in total turmoil, with ever increasing poaching in all areas of Zimbabwe. If we were at a crossroads before, we either missed the turning or over shot it altogether. There is not one aspect of any, one industry which has been left unscathed by the past eight years. Today we sit waiting once again. For each and everyday that we wait, we lose wildlife. How as man, can we just sit by knowing that this horror is filling our environment? There truly are no words which I can find, that can explain what both the people and the wildlife of Zimbabwe have had to endure over these last eight years. To see a wild animal trapped in a snare, struggling for both breath and freedom, is something I will never forget. The fear which runs through those eyes, the helplessness which goes through their bodies before the final breath has been taken. No animal should ever have to go through this.

Two elections have passed and there is not a lot of light at the end of this tunnel. However, I have just returned from a trip to South Africa and for the first time in many, many months, I saw a very bright light. The response to the situation here in Zimbabwe has been incredible and totally overwhelming. Individuals and companies alike have gone out of their way to help the Trust with requirements such as drips and medicine which is needed with any rescued animal. On top of that we have also been donated greatly needed equipment which will not only help us with our day to day requirements, but help fulfil research requirements with the different species that we are involved with. A huge sincere, thankyou goes to the following companies and individuals who have donated equipment and supplies to us here in Zimbabwe:

Cipla – Dr Craig Mincher & Michelle Louw
Country Animal Clinic - Karin Wilson
Drakemed Supplies – Albert Nortje
Gunther Kerschbaumer – Gunther Kerschbaumer
Hermanus Vet Hospital - Michelle Lawrance & Lindsay
Kyron Laboratories – Candice Lamb
Pegasus Homeopathics - Ian Wheeler
South African Flower & Gem Essences – Jannet Unite-Penny
The above could and would not have been achieved without Louise Ehret’s tenacious determination and belief in our project. Louise is not only one of my personal friends, but someone who more often than not thinks about all those around her first and foremost. There are not enough words to express our thanks.

TIKKI HYWOOD TRUST ANIMAL EVENTS:

AFRICAN WILD CAT

Siam has now been with us for one whole year! This has been an amazing story and at a time when there is not much that is positive, Siam is. From being an under weight male red Africa wild cat whom I am sure did not really even know that he was a cat, he now is with a female (Asia) and surrounded by other wild cats. He has learnt to assert himself and is behaving like a real tom cat.

In April, Siam was introduced to Asia. At first it was only for 15 minute intervals under our very watchful eyes just in case a fight broke out between them. Whilst in the enclosure, Siam would be on a lead so that we had a little more control over the situation. Slowly over the next week we put the two cats together. Then, when there were no rude words exchanged between the two, we left Siam in with Asia for a full day. In the evening the two were separated. By mid May, Siam and Asia had developed a bond and were staying together in the same enclosure. We kept Siam and Asia surrounded by other wild cats in the hopes of creating more competition for Siam. As of yet we have not seem any mating, but fingers are crossed and we hope before the end of the year we should see little red paws!

The African wild cats have kept us on our toes! Ellen had a very interesting evening in early April. Hooch, the grand Duchess reigns over all the animals including, it has to be said, us as mere humans. However, her one pet hate is Francis our young female civet. Hooch has developed an intense dislike for the civet, whether it is because of the attention that Francis gets at night from us, or that she simply sees the largest member of the Viveridae family as a threat. As per our normal evening routine when the civets are rotated, Ellen went down to put Assisi back into his enclosure. Assisi, as always, the gently and shy, male civet, went back to his enclosure in usual vocal manner. Francis was delighted to be out in a new enclosure and started playing chase with Ellen. Hooch, who was in the adjacent enclosure to Francis, watched the goings on with a very beady eye. Before Ellen could even blink, she saw an ensuing flash of bristling wild cat fur and operatic yowling Hooch. Who had somehow managed to get into the same enclosure as the unsuspecting Francis and for a brief time of about 30 seconds Hooch gave chase like a lioness!! Francis had no idea what whirling dervish had beset her, and ran as fast as her little dainty civet legs could carry her. After completing two circuits around the enclosure, civet in front, wild cat behind and both trailed by an equally vocal Homo sapiens - Francis made for the nearest bush, curled up under it and started crying! The only solution was to pick the civet up and dash for the nearest empty enclosure, as picking Hooch up at that stage was not an option. Once civet was secure and re-assured that she was in fact still in one piece, Hooch was very unceremoniously confined to a basket. I think it was only at that point that Ellen started to breathe. Talk about an all round adrenalin rush!

We are happy to report that both animals are unscathed after this incident. Admittedly, Hooch was quite smug after it all and Francis relatively confused, but none the worse for the whole experience.
On the 30th June, Atlantic was found dead at Bushman Rock Estates. Please see our last news up date re the background to his death. With some consolation and relief we can report that since Atlantic’s death we have seen evidence of Paris with another cat, smaller than herself. We suspect that this is her kitten from Atlantic. Each night we feed Paris is in her old enclosure, where sand traps have been placed to monitor spoor, to see proof of how many African wild cats are entering into the enclosure to feed. In this undertaking of breeding and releasing wild animals, death is the one certainty we must always prepare ourselves for. In order to ease an aching heart for those lost we can only strive to ensure that every animal has the best quality of life that we can possibly offer. There is no doubt in our hearts and minds that Atlantic had that, he was an emperor in his kingdom at Bushman Rock with Paris at his side. Through their pairing, we now know that his genetics have been passed on and the circle of life is complete.

SERVAL

April was a very eventful month for the serval as well. Mufasa and Arwen were observed mating in late February and then again early March. The whole experience thankfully was calm and Mufasa behaved in a true gentleman manner, with no aggression towards either Arwen or us.
On the 10th May Arwen gave birth to two very healthy kittens, which were named Evenstar and Quickbeam. Being her first litter we were rather concern that she may abandon them. Thankfully she did not, and up to current day has been the most unbelievable first time mum. Arwen remained very confident throughout the first month of the kittens’ life. We never heard any distress calls from the kittens and the new three-member family continues to flourish.

The first week of their arrival, the two kittens were checked on three times a day and then at least twice during the night. During these checks, Arwen was invariably always with her babies and they remained hidden under her fur whilst she sat up protectively. All the time we watched for any distress, a calling baby or an anxious mother, but both babies and Mum have gone from strength to strength and are happy and healthy.

On the 26th May Arwen came into a full oestrus, which of course brought a few problems to Mufasa’s life. For safety reasons, Mufasa during this whole experience has not been allowed into the enclosure with Arwen, although he is able to see her in the neighbouring enclosure. He has been rotated into the adjacent nursery enclosure several times, for a change of scenery. Arwen continued to visit and call Mufasa for the peak duration of the oestrus which was around five days.

In order for the kittens to get used to us, we decided to feed Arwen in an adjacent enclosure, once Mufasa was rotated to the adjacent nursery pen. By doing this we could then go into the enclosure with the kittens and let them hear our voices as well as learn about our smell. By the 8th June, I was able to identify the sexes which were one male and one female. Evenstar the boy, was bigger in size and had a very out going nature. Throughout the first month, Arwen had been doing incredibly well, however with the constant feeding of the kittens we felt it best to start feeding her twice a day and also increase her quantity of food at the evening feed.

By the 16th June the kittens were more than interested in eating meat, licking at Arwen’s face and calling when meat was smelt. Obviously with the increase in activity between the kittens and Arwen it is very important that the kittens are getting enough food. On the 23rd June, we realised just how instinctive these young kittens are. A young rabbit who happened to (very stupidly) enter into the serval enclosure via the diamond mesh, was caught by Evenstar! Pandemonium ensued together with screaming from the baby rabbit. Evenstar, very proud of his accomplishment had the rabbit by the neck and was carrying it around with Quickbeam close on his heels.
At first, the thought was to let nature takes its place and the kittens learn what hunting was all about. However the problem arose when Hooch who, was wide-eyed, wanted in on the action and was trying to get through the enclosure wire. Arwen became very vocal and anxious on the other side of the wire. Between a screaming rabbit, a hissing and spitting Hooch and Arwen, Evenstar decided it was all a little too much for him and dropped the rabbit, who dashed for the nearest bush. Human intervention prevailed and Ellen grabbed the rabbit to calm the whole situation down. To make a judgement call in situations like these are not simple – to leave the live ‘prey’ would mean a life lesson for a young animal who would need those skills once returned to the wild. However, the potential for harm by another species (i.e. Grand Duchess Hooch!) was more risk than worth and so all parties in the foray were rewarded with chicks instead, once the rabbit was removed.

The story does not end here! The baby rabbit was brought into the house and fed copious quantities of glucose syrup for the first 48 hours after her ordeal. Peony, who she is now known as, has been a great survivor. She was rescued from the jaws of a serval kitten and has since become part of the family. Growing daily and spending evenings inside with us and days in the garden, Peony amongst the another 30 odd rabbits, live in paradise or pretty close to what our idea of bunny paradise is.

On a visit to Bushman Rock Estates we found that Bilbo & Gandalf had started to spray urine, the little boys are growing up! This is a very positive sign and indicates that they are maturing into adults. It is hoped that not before too long we will see a successful mating between Shenzi and one of the boys.

In July we received a report that some workers for a company based in one of the industrial areas of Harare had sighted a leopard with her cubs, whilst walking to work! Very unlikely that it is a leopard, however we can not ignore such a call. Thankfully Tim Paulet was close at hand and he very kindly offered his services. We arrive at the scene with all the necessary equipment; cages, dart gun and a whole lot of nervous anticipation…….., as a leopard mother is not very friendly at the best of times!!! On inspection, we found clear evidence of a serval residing in the area, and from the eye witnesses we determine that she has at least 3 kittens. From what we saw, she seems to have been in the area for a while and there seems to be enough rodent and bird life to sustain her and her little family. We distribute our contact numbers however to the folks who live and work in the area as it would be better for this little family if we relocate them to a safer area if they are to be seen again. Wildlife and people will always compete for land. Through education and knowledge people will learn that actually the presence of a serval can be advantageous as opposed to a threat.

Frodo, who we took to Matendere Ranch in the Lowveld on 12th April, is doing very well. The food which we are feeding him on a daily basis is not been finished and this indicates that he is now hunting for himself. There is a lot of evidence of a high rodent population which must be where he is getting the extra food from. We all feel that he is now ready to go out into the open. However, due to the current situation which is rife throughout the whole of Zimbabwe, now is not the best time. We are going to wait a little while and hope that the situation calms down, before we do the final release .

HEDGEHOGS

On a trip to Marula I was contacted by Mr Goosen (who on the Trust’s behalf collects injured or orphaned hedgehogs), to inform us of another hedgehog who had been found. Hunka Munka arrived on 26th April, a healthy male hedgehog. When we first receive hedgehogs, we find that they go through about a three week transitional phase. During this time they do not eat well and generally create a lot of concern. What we have found, what helps hugely is putting them onto a seven day course of antibiotics together with vitamin B complex injection.

This will be the first winter where the hedgehogs have been in a completely artificial environment where the temperature is regulated. It is very important that the hedgehog’s surrounding environment does not drop below 20 degrees C, so throughout the winter either the heater and or the infrared light has remained on to establish this temperature. We have also adopted a brazier system for when there is no electricity. This is essentially a metal bucket with holes, which we make a charcoal fire in and suspended it on a frame in the room. It works really well and heats up the room in no time. This is all part and parcel of learning to adapt in Zimbabwe! Apart from a few of the hedgehogs losing weight, we have not experienced any colds or bronchial problems. However, we are delighted that winter is coming to an end so that we can start exercising the hedgehogs and preparing them for the rainy months when they start mating.

AARDWOLF

Hasha, our very old aardwolf had an awful experience of getting stuck down her burrow. On Monday 14th April on the morning check and clean up, Hasha was no-where to be seen in her enclosure. After a panicked search around the enclosure, she was found in her “burrow” that she has dug under a hedge. However, something did not seem right. On closer inspection, we could see that she had somehow managed to entangle herself in the roots of the bush and was completely wedged in with no hope of getting out! After two hours of carefully digging and trimming select roots, one very dusty and irate aardwolf was released from her earthy prison, a little stiff from her ordeal! Her humans rescuers where also suitably impressed at the amount of noise that comes out of the little aardwolf too!

Towards the middle of July we noticed that Hasha had started to pace at night. Since she is an elderly aardwolf, there are concerns that this could be an age-related issue. She is physically in very good condition and we encourage her to explore more of the garden at night now, leaving the door to her enclosure open. She also has a rabbit or two who visit her! In order to try and alleviate some of this pacing we have put her on Selgian tablets, which is for the treatment of behavioural disorders of emotional origin including anxiety, depression, unsocial behaviour, hyperactivity and phobias. It is not uncommon for an elderly candid to have dementia type behaviour.

GENET
Munchkin’s babies, Este & Lauder are almost adult size now, being eight months old in July 2008. They are beautiful little genets, we have determined that they are female and male, so Este and Lauder respectively! It is wonderful to see that they have taken cue from their mother’s confidence and are not to shy when we enter the enclosure with them. In fact, they have a tendency to “taste” ever so gently an outstretched hand! Both offspring have respectively taken on traits of their parents, Este looks just like mother Munch and Lauder has his father Rags’ longer muzzle.

Coco and Dior, the other orphaned genets are doing very well. They still reside in the cottage, using the curtains as climbing trees and surveying the world from the top rails. Due to their disadvantaged start it is no wonder these genet are rather midget-sized. It is impossible to determine why, however the fact is that they are not good physical specimens and therefore are not ideal candidates for breeding. Also, because of their diminutive size, they would be at more of a disadvantage if they were released at a release site and most likely be killed. We therefore have decided that to maintain their quality of life and ensure a margin of safety, Dior will be sterilized so he can remain with his sister and they will be free-released from the cottage, since they are already very settled in the cottage and identified it as home and will always return. On the 15th July Dior decided to test this theory prematurely and went on an adventure. He got out through an open window and onto the cottage roof and had to be rescued a la fireman style with ladder! Sister Coco was less than impressed with her wayward brother, strutting rather anxiously at the window with tail and crest bristling. Dior discovered going up is much easier than coming down – hence the ladder rescue.

CIVET
Francis has learned a new skill – how to open gates! She has figured out how to bump the wire latch off the bolt and get the inter-leading gate open. This is a great achievement for any animal!

In a similar situation to what happened with Hooch earlier in the month, one evening whilst returning all civet to their respective enclosures for the night, little Miss Curiosity Francis sneaked into the Fig enclosure whilst we were trying to get Badger back into his enclosure. Then, the over confident little girl trotted off into Badger’s enclosure and a very unplanned introduction between two civet occurred. Badger, who is a 9 year old orphan civet, is perhaps the worst tempered animal we have ever had. Before arriving at the Trust, Badger had been separated from his mother, his eyes prised open and then on top of all of that he was somehow burnt and arrived with very singed fur. So we are all very wary of Badger’s moods and no one can really expect anything other than a bad tempered civet when dealing with Badger. So when Francis dashed into Badger’s enclosure, Ellen and I expected the very worst! Badger proved to be calm even though he was defensive and growled a little, whilst Francis seemed more intent on exploring every inch of his enclosure. After some frantic minutes of searching and keeping a wary spotlight on Badger, a snatch and grab manoeuvre was performed and Francis was bodily lifted and returned to her own enclosure.

Francis is settling down well, in the mornings when it comes to putting her to bed she is already sleeping under the bougainvillea or in a corner of her enclosure next to Badger’s (the male civet). She has developed a new tendency though – she pulls her duvet out of her house every night! Over the next coming months we will slowly start introducing Francis to Assisi, this will be in the hopes of mating taking place once Francis is old enough to conceive.

KUSANGANISA NEWS:

Kunsanganisa continues to be an inspiration in an otherwise repressive environment. We can only admire the determination and resolve of the teachers in our program and the fact that they are willing to stay with a project that they believe in and it gives them hope. They face fairly inconceivable impossibilities on a daily basis, but tackle the situation with a smile. Imagine teaching a class of children with no chalk to write on a board, no pen, no paper, having to share possibly 4 text books in a class of fifty children? Lesser people would certainly give up! Fortunately we can try to address this through Kusanganisa. However, with the economics plummeting even deeper in the abyss of financial breakdown, we have realised that our teachers genuinely need help. So with this in mind, our Kusanganisa project has introduced a ‘teacher incentive’, which included food hampers and blankets to help beat out the winter cold.

In as much as the teachers feel the pressure of our country’s collapse, so too do the children and their parents. There certainly is no extra money for uniforms or shoes anymore for these children. The Trust would like to sincerely thank, N Tselentis (Pvt) Ltd, for there very generous and needed donation of 123 girls uniforms. This number of uniforms has clothed the grade 6 & 7 girls and the choir at Nehanda. The smiles on both the children and teachers alike were truly a humbling experience.

In July, we decided that we needed to interact more with the school children and not only the teachers. The reason behind this was to get more of an understanding about what and how the children thought about Kusanganisa and the importance of what we were trying to achieve. It has to be said my first class with the two grade 7 classes brought nerve racking memories of being at school myself. Never having been a great scholar, I was terrified. However, there really was no reason to be, as even with a slight language issue, the interaction from the children and the questions which were being asked about environment were enlighting. Towards the end of the lesson, Lawrence (one of the pupils) put his hand up and asked “Is there a right way to cut a tree down and if so then what is the right way?” Tears welled up in my eyes, as this was, and is, the being of what I believe will be a change in a thought process of the next generation.

The Tikki Hywood Trust would like to thank each and everyone of you, who continue to support both Zimbabwe and our efforts to conserve her wildlife. Each member of society has a huge role to play. Without unity and hope, we will not be able to do endure yet another year of this uncertainty.

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Category: Past Newsletters | Date: Mar 26 2008 | By: admin

Zimbabwe – our beloved homeland continues to cry in silence. Once again Zimbabwe sits at a crossroads in her history. Our country has had a melt down in every aspect of industry and wildlife has unfortunately not been left unscathed. As the months have passed it has not been without its casualties from the wildlife world. 2007 saw 29 rhinos being poached and leaving behind 4 orphans. For every rhino which is poached – ask yourself “how many smaller less known animals have been poached?” I continue to ask myself when will this all end as I am sure the rest of you here in Zimbabwe have the same question.

The Tikki Hywood Trust has always wanted to maintain itself as an Organisation of HOPE! Right now this is very difficult to do. Yet there is hope! The rains have been fantastic and left the veldt with wonderfully lush green graze. The excessive rains have also made the terrain, very difficult for poachers and there is an abundance of water. These are all positives which will be able to help us rebuild the number of wildlife.

January 2008

Hedgehogs
Over the past three months we have had an amazing response to our request of looking for hedgehogs which are orphaned and or injured. Thanks to an advert in the Bulawayo Morning Mirror we have to date received eleven hedgehogs, but have had five mortalities. Unfortunately, some have come to us in a state of such grievous injury that it is not always possible to save them. One particular old male hedgehog comes to mind – he was named Pig Robinson and stayed with us for a week. When he arrived he had a severe bite wound just behind his left ear which was already maggot infested. We cleaned the wound out as much as possible but the maggots had gone in very deep and kept coming out to the surface on a daily basis. After antibiotics and vitamins we were not able to pull him through.

Currently we have 7 hedgehogs - 3 males and 4 females. All have been named after Beatrix Potter characters, so we have:

Tommy - one of the first to arrive, who also goes by the name “Tommy Toe-biter”, as everything from your toes to food goes into his mouth, just testing!!!
Moley Warp - a younger male, who is growing into a dashing young hedgehog with very dense, closely knit spines and
we have high hopes of him charming the females.

Moley Warp Miss Tiggy

Benjamin - the youngest of the males, is still quite nervous and very prickly.

Miss Tiggy – was the first female to arrive. She had a bald spot on her back between her hips which was caused by ringworm. Incidentally, African hedgehogs suffer badly with ringworm and often die from a heavy infection. Thankfully her spines have grown back after treatment with tea tree oil in vaseline for several days. Ring worm causes the hedgehogs to lose all their spines, once this happens the hedgehog becomes bald and will become prey for many other animals.

Jemima - this little hedgehog has a bit of a sad story - when she arrived at the Trust she had given birth to a single little hoglet who very sadly had not survived the journey from Bulawayo to Harare. In our experience when a mother hedgehog is disturbed in anyway, the offspring will either or be eaten or abandoned. When babies are born here at the Trust, we do not touch the mother or her young or even the house where she has given birth. For the first week that Jemima was with us, it was touch and go. She would not eat and seemed to be in a very depressed state. She also had severe spine loss on her back, which exposed a large scar - probably an old dog bite. With a lot of tender loving care and encouragement, Jemima is now back on track and picking up weight and has
introduced herself to the eligible males.
Puddle & Beatrix - the two youngest females only recently acquired are both less than a year old.

In order to co-ordinate the efforts of getting the hedgehogs in a stable condition and then on to the Trust we needed some assistance on the ground in Bulawayo. This is when Ken & Bobbi Goosen agreed to be our hedgehog liaisons for the Bulawayo area and surrounds. Pretty much thrown in the deep end and getting some unusual calls not always relating to hedgehogs, the Goosens have taken on this responsibility whole-heartedly, even taking one little wounded hedgehog to the vet to have injuries attended to! It is only through growing networks of like-minded and caring people such as Ken & Bobbi that we can make a difference to the smaller, forgotten creatures.

What is a very sobering thought is that these little creatures, once so commonly seen in the semi – arid environments of Zimbabwe, are now becoming a rare sight. We truly do not know how many we have left in Zimbabwe, but with the increased use of the hedgehog in traditional medicine the national hedgehog population is declining rapidly. The seven hedgehogs will form a breeding nucleus and we can start re-introducing the offspring in due course.

African wild cat
On Tuesday, 8th January 2008 we received a report from Bushman Rock Management that Paris had released herself from the enclosure. This was not a planned release, however due to a storm which brought with it a strong wind, rather a large tree fell down onto the fence line where Paris and Atlantic’s release enclosure is. It was initially thought that both she and Atlantic had gone off together, but Atlantic, was subsequently found in the enclosure the following morning. Whilst this was unplanned, it did not present too much of a problem that she was out, the only unfortunate thing was that we did not get a chance to collar her. Food was put out for her daily in the hopes of coaxing her back into the enclosure so that we could at least put a collar on. She was not too keen on this idea and remained elusive, yet continued to feed near the enclosure. Finally on 22nd February we realized that re-capturing Paris would not be an option, so we decided to put a tracking collar on Atlantic and release him. He was given a sedative (Dormicum) in a piece of meat early hours of the morning and then using an immobilizing drug (Zoletil), he was poled using a pole syringe. The opportunity to handle him whilst under the influence of the drug makes one realize just how solidly built these African wild cat are. His coat was in magnificent condition as well, not a single parasite to be seen. Once the collar was fitted he was put into a crate to sleep the drugs off. By nightfall of the same day he was let out of the crate and that was when it was noticed that he had a slight limp (from the pole syringe) and this would require some monitoring. By Sunday 24th Atlantic was fit and ready for release.
On Monday 25th the gate to the enclosure was opened. Atlantic, in his quiet and enigmatic way decided to stay a few days longer at “Hotel” Bushman Rock before venturing out. With the release of any animal, it is up to the individual animal to decide as to whether they wish to exit the release enclosure or not. Technically this is referred to as a “soft” release as the animal is given the option to stay or to go. Why do we do this? – it is vital that the animal being released feels comfortable and confident in the new surroundings, so the first thing they do when exiting the enclosure is not to bolt. The hope is to form a new breeding nucleus in the area where they are being. The fact that Paris remained near the enclosure for the seven weeks up to when Atlantic was collared proves this point beyond a doubt.

Civet
January also saw a new beginning for Francis our imported female civet from South Africa. Francis continues to grow in both size and character, becoming a normal boisterous civet. She is not as extroverted as Siam, but in her own way she is dealing with her rocky start to life in a new and loving environment. Wild animals I believe who have been through trauma and ill treatment, take a lot of time to heal. In my experience the recovery period consists of both a regular routine as well as a lot of encouragement from the people who are now interacting with them. Are we winning the battle against Francis’s pacing? I believe we are however it is going to be a long haul and every time there is something that threatens her she automatically reverts back to pacing. An obsessive compulsive is the term used in humans and should be equally used when talking about wild animals with similar behavior patterns. Just like with humans one of the ways in which to treat this is by using tricyclic antidepressant. Francis was put onto Amitriptyline (below is a table showing Francis’s drug dosages).
DATE DETAILS COMMENTS
3/01/08 – 12/01/08 Francis still in nursery pen. Francis has become more stable in this enclosure and it is almost time to move her next to the male civets.
12/01/08 Amitriptyline dose dropped to ¼ tablet Moved Francis in the morning to her new enclosure. She slept in the new house until evening when she was let out.
20/01/08 ½ Rivotril Francis had a bad night, pacing, so we administered a sedative to help her calm down.
21/01/08 Amitriptyline increased to 3/8 tablet We increased the dosage to assist her with adjustment.
13/02/08 Amitriptyline decreased to ¼ tablet, given ½ Rivotril for the night Main drug decreased as she is behaving well.
20/02/08 Skipping one day between drug doses. Improving, so reducing the drug dosage further by missing days.
1/03/08 Skipping two days between drug doses. Reducing drugs further.
10/03/08 Last dose of amitriptyline Francis also walked in an empty serval pen with us for the first time.
11/03/08 Drug free Spent two hours on her own in the empty serval pen.
12/03/08 Drug free Is now putting herself to bed under a bush in the enclosure. Happily climbs into her house herself when we enter in the morning.

On the 12 January, Francis was moved into another enclosure next to the two male civets and at the same time her drug dosage was decreased. She took to the new enclosure with enthusiasm, investigating every smell and giving Badger a casual glance. Badge of course was beside himself with excitement to having a new girl next door. Over the next few days as she got more familiar with her surroundings. Francis did have a few nervous moments where she would get unsettled and slip back into her pacing habit. We believe the adjustment to a different pen may have caused this (although she appeared very settled) so we increased the drugs again to help her settle. This helped her greatly and soon we all got into a routine where she would greet us enthusiastically in the morning when putting her in her house to go to sleep. Definitely the smaller house has made her feel more secure and sometimes in the evening when its time to get up for feeding she will burrow under her duvet like a sleepy teenager! By 10th March Francis had been weaned off all drugs! After months of concern that Francis might never be a normal captive kept civet, we are delighted to see positive results to the contrary. Francis’s next major event will, be meeting one of the boys face to face!

February 2008

This was a very positive month for the Trust as we were able to build a new enclosure at our headquarters. This enclosure will double up as a rotational enclosure for now, until such time as the Bat-eared foxes arrive.

Siam (imported African wild cat from South Africa) being far away from the other wild cats was given first option with the new enclosure. Being 35 m x 60 m Siam was not at all use to so much space! It is a wonderful experience to see an animal who has been so abused and who has spent the best part of his life in a small cage – all of a sudden exploring an environment which has grass instead of cement with real trees and not logs. If a cat could smile I am sure it would be the picture of Siam since arriving in Zimbabwe and becoming part of the Tikki Hywood Trust family.

Serval
February saw Mufasa growing into a teenager which of course means that he has now become rather interested in the female sex. Arwen is four months younger than Mufasa; therefore successful copulation will only be possible towards the middle of this year. Mufasa at least is showing all the characteristics of a male interested in a female. At this point I do not think that he is totally aware of what to do or even why he wants to do the things he is doing. Arwen on the other hand can not understand any of his actions or small talk which and just wishes he would just be ‘normal!’ After three days of Mufasa calling and doing a lot of huffing and puffing, we separated the two servals and have kept them apart until Arwen’s oestrus was completed. Even though Mufasa did have the opportunity to mate with Arwen, he thankfully has remained well natured and calm. Often in our experience, once the male starts being sexually active, he becomes aggressive. Shortly after he starts to become aggressive it is not much longer until he gets the “long distance stare” and the time arrives for him to be released.

The servals that are in the release program at Stonehills in Marula have also been very active! On 17 December 2007, Muffet and Rafiki were released. Muffet having already experienced her freedom, walked out of the enclosure with confidence and without a second look backwards. Rafiki being a shy and much younger serval remained in the enclosure for a few days before he decided to brave the wilds. Rafiki was not quite as adventurous as Muffet and even with placing his food at the entrance to the enclosure he remained inside the enclosure. After a few days his food was placed outside of the enclosure and this encouraged him to start exploring. The month of December is always wet here in Zimbabwe and this made Rafiki’s adjustment a little more challenging. Whilst being released Rafiki proved to be very different to his mother. He has less confidence and was always ravenous when his human caretakers brought him food. This indicated that he was not being very successful at hunting on his own. We also suspect that he was intimidated by a larger male who had been seen in the company of his mother! On the 15th January 2008, Rafiki’s signal was picked up near the neighboring village scheme and this caused some concern. When he was sighted, it was apparent that he had injured – his left back ankle joint which was swollen and which he was favouring. On further inspection, it was suspected that he had been bitten, (possibly the male, who could have been following Muffet) and his condition had deteriorated. Due to this injury, he would not be able to hunt effectively and would most likely lose even more condition so Rafiki was recapture, by being given a sedative in the meat which he ate without a problem and then was simply wrapped up in a canvas sheet, put in a crate and brought back to the release enclosure. Once back in very familiar territory and with food back on tap, Rafiki quickly relaxed and became his normal self. His injured leg also healed very satisfactorily without any need to treat it. Currently Rafiki remains in the release enclosure, but we have decided that releasing him at Marula with another adult male in the area will not be wise. So later on this year he will return to the breeding center and become one of the breeders.

Genet
Munchkin’s babies, Estee & Lauder are growing at a rate of knots. They have grown into incredibly agile and precocious genets, playing on the hanging baskets and wreaking havoc with the vegetation. In addition, it seems perfectly fitting that they should put manure in the ornate water fountain! Dad, Rags looks on sedately nestled in his straw-filled hanging basket and one can just imagine what goes through his mind: “Thank Goodness they are on that side!” Munchkin, ever patient and serene takes it all in her stride. She should be, after all she is the proud initiator of the first successful captive genet breeding program.

Coco & Dior: Two orphan genets, Coco (female) & Dior (male), were abandoned shortly after birth and at first we were not sure of the reasons. After awhile, it was apparent why their natural mother had abandoned them. Dior started to develop eye problems, where they would be closed and crusted up with a brown secretion. Coco, being slightly smaller, started developing lesions on various parts of her body, most noticeably on the last third of her tail and under her front right leg. However, Coco’s condition proved to be far more serious and she developed a bacterial skin infection that covered at least 20% of her body. Even after she was put onto antibiotics to help fight the infection, the bottom third of her tail was not able to recover and the end of her tail died and dropped off. Thankfully the rest of her problems were resolved and today she is a bright and full of nonsense genet. Due to the problems which both genets have been through, we will not breed from either of them and at the right time they will be sterilized and roam freely around the breeding center. It is the Trust’s principle that unless an animal is 100% both genetically and mentally we will not breed from them. Perhaps many would debate whether we should have raised these little orphans? Well only time tells what ails different mammals and we most certainly could not just sit back without helping these little creatures.

Kusanganisa Educational Project
This project continues to be an amazing learning journey for me. Zimbabwe is not a country which encourages anything which is new right now. Just getting through the day each day is very difficult, yet for many of these teachers their stresses of getting through the day are untold. Just this week, I gave one of the teachers a lift into town. On asking her what the reasons for her trip into town was for, her reply was “I can only cash my salary cheque in town.” So just to get cash (which might not be available in the bank) this teacher had to travel 55 kms by any means of transport she could find as she does not have a car, then get her pay cheque and return back to her home, another 55 kms, before night fall. During our trip into town, she remained cheerful and never once complained about the situation in which she found herself. I on the other hand seemed to be angered on her behalf. How on earth could a system let us down to such an extent? If we can not make sure that our own kind are taken care of, then how on earth are we going to find enough time to put into the species which inhabit our planet? After much deliberation I came up with the only way we can help our species as well as all those others which share the earth with us, is by taking small steps - together. This battle is way to large for any one of us to think we can under take it alone.

Through Kusanganisa I find that we, together with the Zimbabwean teachers, the children and all the sponsors involved are making it possible for these small steps to take place. Hope is a very powerful tool which keeps us believing in something positive. Through Kusanganisa the teachers have been inspired that there is a body of people who believe in their abilities, the children continue to be stimulating both mentally and physically through the project.

Even with the excessive rains, the first crop of mealies at Nehanda brought in ZW$ 650 million which have gone towards buying a Grade 7 Environmental Science text book. With the number of students increasing at Nehanda the school has been unable to supply enough text books and there are many students who have to share. With the help of Seed Co we have managed to plant another ½ hectare of sorghum, as well as this crop we have also increased the onion crop for this year as we had such success last year. As Nehanda is on sand veldt we have had to do a little bit of experimenting to see what crop does the best on this type of soil.
On the 20 February 2008, Mr Weterings the Ambassador of the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands, took the morning away from his busy schedule to see just how the financial backing from the Embassy for the Phase 3 part of Kusanganisa was taking place. The school put on an amazing morning of dancing, play acting and singing. Once all the activities were complete the Ambassador was shown around the school and what the school is currently undertaking through the Kusanganisa Educational Program. It was very interesting to learn that it was the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands who built Nehanda.

News in General
Currently here in Zimbabwe our poaching fines are ridiculously low. Over the past eight months, the Tikki Hywood Trust together with National Parks has managed to increase the fines every quarter. For 2008, we have managed to get Parliament to pass a 3000% increase in the national poaching fines. This will continue to be a battle we will pursue, as it is our hope that the poaching fines will be the same as the trophy fees. This way each animal will have a more realistic value.

January also saw the Trust going “mainstream” in the technological world of the internet. Blogging is a fast growing medium of expression on the internet, with people being able to stand on virtual soapboxes and have their say. Although initially it was a socially expressive tool, now with the infinitely expanding reach of the World Wide Web blogging has also become a way to fight ignorance and create awareness for conservation purposes. With this all in mind, the Tikki Hywood Trust has become a member of a purely conservation orientated site called wildlifedirect.org. We have our own blog page, and it is called Zimbabwe Seven. With a much wider and diverse audience, through this blog we can provide insight into the plight of the species we deal with and indeed the plight of Zimbabwean wildlife as a whole.

To all our sponsors and supporters we extend a huge thank you to each and every one of you. A special thanks goes to the following people, whom without we would not be able to continue our plight:-

African Genesis
Buddy Mockford
Croplink
Graham Smith
John Mctaggart
Julian Howard
Mike Palmer
Miriam Bauman
Patricia Glyn
SAVE Australia
The Royal Embassy of the Netherlands
Teresa Siskind

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Category: Past Newsletters | Date: Jan 22 2008 | By: admin

Dear Readers,

We are posting the last newsletter that we send out (December 2007). We hope you enjoy reading it, many of the names actually refer to animals in our care and where possible we have tried to put the species in brackets next to the name so that you can visualise them!

Tikki Hywood TrustDecember 2007 Newsletter Another year is soon to come to an end.  2007 has been a year where we have witness tragedy on a grand scale here in
Zimbabwe.   One animal after another has been sacrifice yet again for man’s greed.  When the economy and the status quo of a country are turned onto its head, then the wildlife will be at risk of being pawned for man’s requirements.  How does a conservation organization inspire hope at a time like this?  How do we reassure our sponsors that we are all moving in the right direction?  Only by divulging the truth.   

My heart has been broken in two on more than one occasion this year.  At the sight of the Chiredzi area, which in my opinion is just one step away from looking like Mars!  Deforestation, burning and with both of those of course comes mass poaching and loss of wildlife.  The loss of Tilly, to yet another situation of ignorance.  The short life which Phiri (Lichtenstein’s hartebeest calf) shared with us and his fight for survival.  The one thing this year has taught me is the strong desire that wildlife have to survive, no matter what their species is or what age they are – the on thing they share is a natural instinct that everything is about survival.  Perhaps this is a lesson for all of us during these hard times here in
Zimbabwe. The Tikki Hywood Trust would like to welcome Ellen Connelly to our family in August of this year.  Her arrival could not have come at a more appropriate time!  Due to the size of our furry family’s growth, together with more and more data required to be documented and orphans arriving at a fairly fast and furious pace, Ellen has been a huge asset to the Trust.   

September On 1^st September “Phiri” (Shona for number three) a new born male Lichtenstein’s hartebeest arrived at the Trust’s headquarters.  Rick & Sally Passaportis of Bushman Rock Estates had been observing Phiri the whole morning after their scouts had notified them about the abandoned calf.  On arrival to the Trust Phiri could not stand, due to being very weak and dehydrated. With lots of encouragement and stimulation I managed to get him to stand and not long after that got him to suck his first few sips of a milk bottle. 
There is nothing quiet like having a young antelope bleating at you and following you around.  It has to be said that your heart just melts particularly when you looking into those huge milk chocolate eyes!  Later that same night Phiri started getting lethargic and weak, he had a huge drop in temperature. We managed to get his temperature up and stabilize him by putting him onto a glucose solution rather than milk for the rest of the evening. By the next day it was very apparent that there was a serious problem with Phiri, He seemed very lethargic, lying out flat and his gums were a dark blue/red colour. We consulted with Dr. Astrid Huelin and she confirmed on examination that we were dealing with toxicosis – a general bacterial infection that crept in and was poisoning his system. Antibiotics were started immediately and by midday there was a marked improvement. During the day he stood several times and took his glucose solution alternating with a colostrum formula for lambs.  Due to his obvious discomfort we administered painkillers to assist with the inflammation and irritation in his system. Day 3 – 3^rd September: Again during the early hours of the morning his temperature dropped and he became lethargic. He is kept warm in a basket with a mohair blanket and a small heat pad. We also put warmed bean bags around him to keep him snug. At that point it was imperative to get some food into his stomach as he was getting weaker so he was put back on milk formula interspersed with glucose solution. A potential worry then was aspiration pneumonia as there was a slight crackling sound in his breathing. Also, because he was not taking in the volume that he should have, he was getting partially dehydrated so Lisa decided to use a stomach tube to get some food into him. He took this very patiently, knowing that we were fighting hard for him as he was so willing to live too. By that afternoon however we have another further setback – he has now developed a middle ear infection which causes his eyes to twitch (like he is dizzy – which he was) and his head is twitching to the side. This is treated with further antibiotics in consultation with Dr. Huelin’s partner – Dr. Petros L. To help with the dehydration he was also getting Ringer’s Lactate subcutaneously - the fluid then dispersed easily into his system from under the skin.  

Day 4 – 4^th September: Although weak during the early hours of that morning, when Dr. Petros came to check Phiri, he noticed an improvement. He was not dehydrated, was holding his head up on his own and the twitching from the middle ear infection seemed to have slowed down. Over this day though there were ups and downs – we notice that when Phiri gets agitated or when he is in pain his twitching got worse. He had moments when his sucking reflex was very strong and then very weak. However, the fluid given subcutaneously was giving him a boost and late in the afternoon he decided that he is very hungry and sucks well.  He is also weighed and we discover that he was heavier than initially estimated.  Day 5 – 5^th September: late the previous evening and early hours of the morning he was weakening. Not able to stand properly on his own and was showing no interest in food, no sucking reflex. His gut was distending with gas and he had not passed a decent stool in a fair number of hours. Lisa gave him activated charcoal which is excellent for gastric upsets and absorbing toxins and gases. We were still giving him subcutaneous fluid which was being rapidly absorbed by his body.  He was definitely struggling this day with air in his gut; he was trying to push it out but seemed too weak to do so. Even with glycerin suppositories, a mineral enema and a warm soapy water enema to try to get things stimulated nothing much happens. Late that afternoon Dr. Chris Foggin examined him and managed to place a drip in place for some intravenous fluid. He also looked for any blockage in the rectum but could not find any. What he did find was a heavy inflammation in the stomach and this was causing a lot of pain. We continue with the I.V. fluid during the night to keep Phiri rehydrated.  

Day 6 – 6^th September: Phiri was declining rapidly, he was sleeping a lot. Although he was responding to our ministrations he was very tired and it seemed the multiple infections were overwhelming him. Finally, at 10:15am with help from Dr. Petros, we released him from the agony and for the first time in his little life he slept peacefully.   Letting an animal “go” is one of the biggest lessons which I have had to learn over the last 13 years of working with wild animals.  Nothing will prepare you to say goodbye to a little face who has entrusted so much faith and trust into you, who looks at you for the guidance and reassurance for the future.  When you can not offer this – you of course are going to feel like you have failed this little life. 

Siam our African wild cat, who was imported from
South Africa, has grown from strength to strength not only in stature but in character.  Every time I look at
Siam I know that he belongs here with us.  We have watched him develop into a cat over this past month, learning to mark the ground and spray.  Even though there are times when I do think he wonders what this is all for – he has dug deep within himself and started to discover that he is a wild cat and there are things which he should be doing and I believe he is loving every moment.  Thankfully due to his nature we have managed to train him onto the collar and lead as well as to go in a basket.  He loves his walks and watching the rabbits, tail twitching and eyes darting from one rabbit to another.  You can just imagine him saying “here little bunny here!” 

Francis’s (African civet) transition has not been so smooth.  Her pacing remains the biggest hurdle for us to over come.  On the 2 October 2007, she started going outside into the nursery pen for two or so hours at a time.  By the 13 October 2007, she had improved so much and enjoyed being in the nursery pen to such an extent that she spent her first night outside.  I am not too sure who was more nervous - her or me!  Then by the 15 October we were able to stop all drug treatment as the pacing had stopped and Francis seemed to be adjusting well to her new home. Due to the nature of Francis’ problem (known as a stereotypical behaviour) finding the right drugs to help her was a challenge. Essentially she would need some chemical assistance, as no natural means (e.g. physical distraction or food) could break the habit. At the same time, because she is young and had been hand reared we had to find something that could be used that was minimally invasive, easy to administer and without major long-term dependency.  We finally settled on a human drug called Amitriptyline which is a tricyclic antidepressant. It has been used in animals to help with things like obsessive grooming behaviour as well as spraying in cats. So far we are pleased with the results of the drugs, however we must stress that this is small part of helping Francis with her problem, she is getting a  lot of love, attention and stimulation and is constantly being reminded what a beautiful civet girl she is! 

In September we decided that the time had come for us to move the enclosures off Mazowe and rebuild at Bushman Rock Estates.  Over the past year Bushman Rock has gone from strength to strength.  The Passiportis’s commitment to conservation at a time like this in
Zimbabwe is admirable.  We would like to thank all at Bushman Rock for their continued support and the opportunity they have afforded us with allowing the building of the enclosures for the carnivores.  There are a few nicknames which I believe Rick has found for me over this time!!!  Once the enclosures had been completed, the two orphan serval, Bilbo and Gandalf as well as Shenzi (adult female serval) were moved to Bushman Rock together with Atlantic – African wild cat.  The boys loved being in their new found space exploring in the long grass, chasing grasshoppers and climbing trees.  The feeling one experience when you have watched a young, helpless and abandoned creature all of a sudden reach, the stage of adult hood and independence is so rewarding.  The next step is to introduce the boys to Shenzi; the one she accepts will be her partner for a litter of kittens.  Due to the boys’ age this will not be scheduled until late next year. OctoberOctober started on a very bad footing.  Beluka my little yellow tiger (african wild cat with specific colouring), developed panleukopenia.  The survival rate for a wild animal in captivity with panleukopenia is 0.01%.  My beautiful baby literally melted into the ground in front of my eyes.  With panleukopenia the biggest problem is the dehydration, which the animal experiences.   Due to his bad state of health he was moved into my bedroom so that I could keep a watchful eye on him throughout the night and day.  Beluka was a star patient, allowing me not only to inject him twice daily with an antibiotic, but he allowed me to administer a minimum of 70 to 80 mls of fluids subcutaneously every two hours. No sooner did we think that he had turned the corner he started bleeding from the nose and vomiting.  Finally after five weeks of constant care Beluka returned to his own enclosure to be with
Minsk his brother and friend.  What an amazing day and sense of achievement it was to see him outside and walking around.  Beluka would not have survived without the help and constant checking by both Keith Dutlow and Lisa Maribini, a huge thank you to the two of them, and Ellen without whom I would not have had the encouragement and support to push so hard for five weeks.  Each illness, which these animals under go, are felt by each and every one of us here at the Trust.   

Apart from Beluka’s hiccup the next bump was Frodo.  Frodo a young male serval hit by a car in the close proximity of
Harare had a broken front left leg as well as having badly damaged hindquarters from being dragged by the car.  You could say that his condition was severe and critical. Frodo was picked up on 3^rd October and then on the 4^th October 2007 he under went his first operation to pin the fractured leg.  Five days later an x-ray was taken only to find out that the pin had cause damaged to the bone due to the softness of the bone as Frodo was a young animal and also in very poor condition.  After removing the pin the decision had to be made - what was the next best thing for Frodo?At this point we were devastated as all our efforts now had not really been productive for Frodo; he was now back to square one. On the 15 October 2007 Keith and Lisa had to place a plate inside the leg to try and hold the broken bone in place.  This operation took just under four hours as fragments of bone had to be removed as well as making sure there was no nerve damage during the operation.  Huge thanks goes to both Keith and Lisa for their dedication and constant support towards Frodo’s case.  The operation went well and Frodo returned to the Trust’s headquarters to recover from his massive operation.  After five days Frodo was once again pole syringed so that he could have his stitches taken out and the plate x-rayed to see if all was healing in his leg.  As Frodo had been living between two crates in the hope that he would not put unnecessary weight on his leg – we now felt that is was time to get Frodo outside into sunlight with more space so that he could start enjoying life as a serval once again.  The outside space was very nerve racking for Frodo and once the Acuphase (a long acting tranquilizer) had worn off Frodo challenged the fence and seem very panicked and stressed.  Dr Foggin was called in to once again check Frodo’s leg and make sure that no more damaged had occurred to the leg now that he had been running up and down the fence as well as challenging the electric fence.  On inspection of the leg, there was no apparent damage, so we decide that the outside world for Frodo at this point was just too soon.  Frodo was moved into the house and into the nursery room.  Where he remained until enough time had passed for the leg to heal.  On the 27^th November Frodo was once again knocked down and x-rayed to see if his leg had healed.  Great news the leg was looking great!  So Frodo was moved to an outside enclosure which had been built at Keith and Lisa’s house.  Frodo will remain there until we feel his condition and leg is fully healed, before entering the release program.  As Frodo was a wild serval from the beginning the release side of his reintroduction we feel will be smooth, the most important thing is to make sure he is physically strong enough to fend for himself in the wild. Due to the Beluka’s illness we decided that all the cats needed to have complete blood work done to give us more of an idea as to what a healthy animal’s blood should be like as opposed to a sick animal.  Keith Dutlow and Lisa Marabini (wildlife veterinarians) came to anaesthetize the cats and do the blood sampling.  Being wild animals, each animal has to be sedated in order for us to take the required blood which is around 10 mls per cat.  Once all the sampling was achieved, the blood samples which could not be tested here in Zimbabwe were sent to
South Africa for testing.  We are delighted to say that after all the testing we can safely report that all our cats are healthy and we now have a set of blood values for both African wild cats and serval as a standard.  

On the 29 October 2007, I went down to Bulawayo to visit Stonehills Wildlife Conservancy where we have a release site, as well asMarula
Primary School.  As the rains were nearing the release of both Muffet and Rafiki (serval) would be soon.  However the collar which we originally fitted on Muffet was not very suitable.  The antenna got in her way and did not fit well around her neck as she is such a small serval. We had redesigned a new type of collar for our cats which we hope will not only fit well around their neck but that the antenna which now runs down their backs between their shoulders, will not interfere with any of the cats natural activities in the wild.  Due to Muffet’s size and nature, we were able to use only Dormicum (tablet form taken orally), which allowed me to remove the old collar and place the new collar onto her.  She was also sprayed with Frontline for external parasites.  Rafiki being a lot wilder than Muffet, had Dormicum first and then a pole syringe was used to inject him with Ketamine and Rompun.  By using these drugs Rafiki was totally anaesthetized which enable us to take his measurements, vaccinate him and collar him.  The next day both cats remained very sedated but were kept out of harms way.  Once Muffet and Rafiki have been released we will be moving the first African wild cats to Stonehills for release sometime in 2008. 

The visit toMarula
Primary School went very well.  It will never cease to amaze me at just how dedicated the teachers here in
Zimbabwe are.  With hardly anything, these teachers have remained committed to the future of the children they teach.  We have unfortunately started losing teachers to across the border for the simple reason of more money which is available in
South Africa.   

Mrs Dube the Headmistress is a dedicated and admirable lady who has under taken the huge responsibility of making sure the school runs as smoothly as possible, which is no easy task at times like these in
Zimbabwe.  My main concern for Marula was that the Phase 3 part of Kusanganisa was not really running parallel to Phase 1 and 2.  However I am now delighted to say that we have been very fortunate to find Pierre de Jaeger who has a farming project called “Farming God’s Way”.  This is a philosophy which work very closely along the lines of our Kusanganisa project, and that is respect for the land.  Now Marula has six 10 x 10 meter plots which are all under maize. This is all very exciting and something which in time will increase with other crops. Then hopefully when we get to the point of being able to grow our own feed for live stock, we will then go into farming both goats and chickens.  We would like to thank Ivan Craig of Seed Co for his support and supplying us with the 25 kgs of maize which was required for Marula.  Seed in
Zimbabwe is a rare as hen’s teeth so we are delighted that Ivan has taken our Kusanganisa Project on board and is happy to support it.   Seeing as we are on Kusanganisa, October also sawNehanda
Primary School’s rabbit breeding project being launched.  A 7 x 6 meter enclosure was erected for the rabbits with the three rabbit hutches.  The first lot of rabbits consisted of 1 buck and 5 does.  The children, who excelled at Kusanganisa within the Phase 1 and 2, were allowed to name these rabbits.  This project has been very rewarding both for the school as well as the children who all partake in the daily feeding and cleaning of the rabbits.  We look forward to our first litter of rabbits which will be the final reward for this project.   We would like to take this opportunity to offer a huge debt of gratitude to the Royal Embassy of the
Netherlands who have supported the rabbit breeding projects financially in our three schools. Without their input, this phase of the Kusanganisa project would not have been possible at this point and the impact that it has had at

The last exciting piece of news in October was to do with the genets - to be exact Munchkin was confirmed to be pregnant.  As the male genets are very aggressive and have a tendency to kill even their own young, we move Munchkin into her own enclosure which had two nesting boxes.  At first Rags (father to be) was rather distressed however the two genets have now settled into their new separate homes. November The Tikki Hywood Trust is delighted to welcome Julian Howard as a new Trustee.  Julian has not only been a sponsor towards the Trust since our inception, but he has also offered sound advice and solutions towards some of the issues we as a NGO in
Zimbabwe face.  Therefore it is seemingly fitting that someone with the experience and knowledge of the Zimbabwean situation join strengths with us for our next phase of development as a conservation vehicle. It is now more than ever that our dedication to the plight of
Zimbabwe’s wildlife will be amplified and it is testament to those who continue to support and promote the very necessary work that the Trust does. May we all continue this co-operation and hopefully one day the future generations will get to appreciate what many take for granted here and now. 

November was a month for hedgehogs.  Since last year we have been desperately looking for more breeding stock in order to continue our hedgehog breeding project.  Thankfully due to Trust promotional efforts in
Bulawayo, we have been sent a few orphan hedgehogs.  However hedgehogs are not easy creatures to be involved with.  With just the slight change of temperature or wrong food, huge complications can arise with and death is inevitable.   The first two hogs the Trust received were adult males who are doing very well and have been called Tommy and Moley Warp.  (All the hedgehogs are named after Beatrix Potter characters!).  When they arrived there were some complications with living space. For a start, Siam (African wild cat) was using the round house as night quarters so that he could start seeing Asia, Paris and
Versailles (other African wild cat) and have some controlled interactions with them. The round house was designed to take the hedgehogs, but Siam was doing so well and developing quite a rapport with
Asia that it seemed sad to break it up. So, the hedgehogs took up residence on the cottage balconies! However, at the onset of the rains it become awkward to keep them dry and they spent some time in the cottage shower as well – so we decided to re-arrange living quarters so that they could move into the round house permanently. No sooner had we settled the boys in routine and then a “box” of baby hedgehogs arrives at the Trust on 12^th November. There were four to start off with, but two had already succumbed whilst in transit, one was barely moving and the last slightly more alive. We assumed they were about three weeks old. The weaker of the two survivors had a terrible face wound, presumably from a dog bite and was very lethargic and cold. Unfortunately the baby did not last longer than a couple of hours. The survivor was christened “Beatrix” and she took to milk quite strongly but sadly she only survived until the early hours of 15^th November. The arrival of babies did not stop there however; shortly before the hedgehogs we received two orphaned genets. A male and female both dehydrated and still with streaks of blood on their fur from birth. Both of them weighed in at less than 100g, and from their size we estimated that they could not have been older that a few days. We got them onto a glucose solution as quick as possible to try and boost their energy levels and get their hydration up and they responded quickly. The next step was getting them onto a suitable milk formula. We started off on a human milk formula for newborn babies (S26) but within less than 24 hours we discovered that this was not agreeing with their systems at all. We then went onto the tried and trusted formula used by the Trust on previous babies and we are ecstatic to report they are happy & healthy genets! All the genets the Trust now receives will be named after perfume houses, so these two cuties are “
Coco” and “Dior”.  

After much anticipation, the only planned arrival of babies was the birth of Munchkin’s two kits on 15^th November! She has been an exemplary mother; her babies are happy, healthy and as big if not bigger than Coco & Dior. This goes to show that there is no substitute for mother’s milk. Munchkin has had endless patience with her human family constantly gawking at her two bundles of joy – she even receives breakfast, lunch & dinner in bed if she so chooses! We are not certain of the babies’ sex as yet but whatever they may be, they have made history in being the result of a successful genet breeding program.  A Special Thanks Goes To:From all at the Tikki Hywood Trust we have very big and sincere thanks to make to Trixie Rhodes our volunteer from
Australia.  Trixie arrived, accent and all into all of our lives.  She entered the hearts of all our animals – but mainly a huge bond was formed between her and Hooch our female African wild cat.  Trixie had the most amazing patience when walking the cats on their daily walks.  Each cat was given Trixie’s undivided attention.  Asia being Asia, often abused this situation and you would see Trixie standing very patiently waiting for
Asia to have her “cat – nap” before continuing on the walk. But it was not only the cats that were given lavish attention, even tortoises were dutifully carried to water when Trixie felt that they could not access it properly. It was also not unusual to see her with rabbit or “chook” in hand, and she was known to share her lunch with a certain grey rabbit on a regular occasion.  Trixie has been an invaluable help to the Trust and we will sorely miss her, not the least Hooch who pricks her ears on hearing that familiar Australian accent!   

Croplink, which is a local Agricultural Commodity Brokering Company has been invaluable. Not only have they offered their agronomist, Wilson Muchenje to assist with our Kanganisa Project at Nehanda, but they have very kindly offered to collect the  Irvines chicken culls.   This has got to be one the most loathed tasks which I have had to undertake for the past seven years.  Now not to have to see the little fluffy chicks alive and well, and then in the back of my car dead, is such a relief.  Thank you to Roy Ormerod and all at Croplink for their assistance in this regard and also for their light hearted sense of humour during these interesting times here in
Zimbabwe. Willowmead (fruit and vegetable vendors) have been fantastic with their weekly supply of reject fruit and vegetables for the civet, genet and hedgehogs.  This contributes hugely to our daily requirements for the above mentioned animals.   

Rachel Lowry of Werribee Open Range Zoo has been amazing with the support and guidance she has shown towards our Kusanganisa Project.  We are hoping that both Rachel and one other Conservation Educational Officer will be returning to
Zimbabwe in early 2008 to run another workshop for the schools with which the Trust is involved with through the Kusanganisa Project.  Last but by no means least we would like to extent our appreciation to Save Australia.  They have continued to support not only the Tikki Hywood Trust here in
Zimbabwe, but many other organizations who are involved wildlife.  Save are one of the few international charities who support wildlife causes within
Zimbabwe.  When many international groups have pulled out of
Zimbabwe due to political reasons over the past seven years, Save has remained steadfast in their support.  As this year draws rapidly to a close, we must take a moment to reflect on the highs & lows that we have weathered. Without the gracious support and encouragement from all our sponsors this would have been an even more monumental task. The piece of history that we are living right now in
Zimbabwe is truly a testing ground for one’s sense of purpose. With all the horrors and travesty being committed to wildlife in our country on a daily basis, we know now more than ever that the work we are doing with the Trust is a ray of warming sunshine on an otherwise clouded circumstance. We take this opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks to all organizations, groups and individuals who have been threads in our web of support. May we also offer everyone warmest wishes for the approaching festive season, and hope that is it spent in peace, love and joy.

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