Zimbabwe Seven

Spring has Sprung!

I remember when, I was a child, of being so excited for the bright bursts of ‘spring’ colour, from all avenues, leaves on the trees, buds bursting open and the petals of the Jacaranda spilling onto the roads and gardens, leaving, underneath them, purple carpets, which popped when you drove over them. Thinking back, I can see how wonderful it was being so naïve and living in a then, wonderland, which I called home.

Now when spring is around the corner, my heart is full of fear for the veldt fires which are destined to fill our night horizon. Burning seems to be a way of life in Zimbabwe around this time. Be it due to poverty and many people trying to catch rats to eat, or for clearing of land in preparation for the rains, or simply for revenge. Whatever it may be, Zimbabwe is turned into smoke and flames for the best part of August and September. I once believed, that education was the way forward with so many of the wrongs in this country, but sadly due to ever increasing poverty levels, I am afraid that even with knowledge there are certain issues we can not change, fire burning being one of those realities, no matter how hard we seem to try change it.

“Life is meaningless only if we allow it to be. Each of us has the power to give life meaning, to make our time and our bodies and our words into instruments of love and hope”.

- Tom Head (Author)

Each step that the Trust’s takes, is such a learning curve. I am thankful that with each one of these steps, I am able to embark on a journey of self realisation. As you all know my patience levels are tested constantly, and for me this has been one of my greatest challenges, living and dealing with conservation issues here in Zimbabwe. No one else’s clock seems to tick quite the same as mine, and there are many occasions when I find myself having to take very deep breath and count to a 100, long gone are the days of only counting to 10! In June of this year, the Trust was contacted by our National Parks to take care of a situation. A collection of animals, referred to as Noah’s Ark, had been captured in one of our premier Parks, and through, I pray, a greater conscience, our Director General decided to rescind this decision, and release these animals instead of sending them to a zoo overseas. We automatically reacted to this change of heart and in less than five days, we were bound for Hwange, to release Zimbabwe’s much talked about Noah’s Ark. You have all received the newsletter which outlines the release of these said animals, so I will not go into that. However, I would like to explain that as a result of this, move many doors have opened, and a few new directions have presented themselves to the Trust. After arriving in the Vumba, to release the captured Samango Monkeys, the Trust spoke with many of the stakeholders on the ground and the realisation of tremendous poaching and deforestation became a reality to us. With these facts racing through my mind, I returned to Harare with a multitude of ideas of how we might be able to assist. The long and short of it was that without trained manpower on the ground, to form a buffer against the main assault of poaching animals, we really are wasting our time. In light of this, I met with Martin Steimer, who runs an anti-poaching unit called Animal Lifeline in the Hwange area, to ask him to help with training. I have also been in contact with Charlie Hewat of Environment Africa with regards to a project in the Vumba. Together, we have got approval from ZPWMA to do the first anti-poaching training program in the Vumba, starting on the 1^st November 2010. We, will be developing the Wildlife and Environment Protection Unit (WEPU), and this unit will operate throughout the Bunga Forest Area and the Botanical Gardens, and will be a reaction unit for the stakeholders who remain on land in the Vumba area, to protect against poaching and deforestation.

As I walked through the forests of the Vumba and saw these beautiful trees that had been growing, providing shelter and food for many different species below them for decades now lying, dying on the earth’s floor, my heart silently cried. The devastation throughout Zimbabwe is huge, vast, no, mammoth! Can we, actually make a difference, can we prevent further destruction – those of us who really care about the future of this land? Right now, there are questions which I have and which I want so badly answered. But who is there to answer them? The definition of chaos is “a state of complete disorder and confusion” this is where I feel Zimbabwe, stands right now. In amongst this are those of us who so badly want to see the light shining on the horizon, but for now our horizon is charred black and it will take time for that green bite to emerge. My dream is, that just as year after year the green bite continues to grow, so too in time will our future horizons, here in Zimbabwe. Because this land is our home we love her and we are here for her and so for now all we can do is crisis manage, one step at a time, one animal at a time and one tree at a time. So the answer of course is YES, we can do something to help restore our homeland. Hand and hand and through unity and determination we will find that horizon.

Orphans have become a way of life for the Trust, over the last six months the following animals have entered our lives and become part of our ever growing family;

Galadriel – a female serval arrived in a cardboard box, hissing as soon as you looked into the box. Her front right leg had been caught in a snare and was very swollen. Thankfully however we were able to save the leg and to day she is a beautiful, if somewhat aggressive serval. Being so young, she still has a good, eight or so months, before we have to decide what her future will be. Currently, I fear that there are no safe environments out there that will welcome an animal like Galadriel, without any threat of being poached either by dogs or wire snares!

Officially known as Madagascar, but rather affectionately called Mugsy – a young male, African Wild cat came into the Trust, from the Chirundu area in June. Mugg Wugg (another baby name he responds to!) maybe one of Africa’s smallest cat species but he most certainly has a character of a tiger! This little cat has survived one tragic event after another and still remains positive, loving and keeps everyone on their toes. At around three months old, Mugsy developed a condition called joint ill, which is a bacterial infection that develops in any joint, and left untreated can cause irreparable damage. However, it is highly uncommon in felids, and Mugsy’s case was the first seen by the vets in a kitten. He has been on a extensive course of antibiotics, as well as supportive treatment, but only time will tell with this little tiger as his limbs grow, the full extent of the damage to his leg. It certainly does not hamper his pounce ability!

Apple Blossom – a female common duiker arrived in September, weighing only 2.7kgs together with a fledgling eagle owl, who has aptly been named Archimedes! Once again, both of these critters came from the Darwendale area. We are so relieved that people are bring these orphans in and not just leaving them to a fate we would rather not know about. Apple has adapted to the bottle very well as well as starting on solids. With a piggy squeal, every time you pick her up she has learned what the routine is, and looks forward to her basket of daily delights from dandelions to Msasa leaves.

Each one of these orphans, have their own stories to tell of how they became orphans. Unfortunately most of them have one thing is common, they were all going to die should it not have been for the kind people who found them and brought them into us. In order for Apple to be released from her captors, a goat had to be given as a swop! This does not sound correct, almost like an eye for an eye and which animal has more value? There are question and decisions such as these that we are faced with and morality, does not feature, so it seems with many of these cases.

In July, I travelled to Victoria Falls to see how Makwa and Kennedy were doing at the Wild Horizons Trust. It was great to see that both elephants condition, had improved and they were walking daily into the wild regions surrounding Wild Horizons. Each day they will be learning more and more about what is required ultimately to be a wild elephant. Their characters have emerged little bit by little, Makwa is very much a wild animal at heart, and there is no way she wants to have anything to do with the human ways (she certainly has her head screwed on the right way!) Kennedy however, is much more forgiving and is not so hostile towards his fellow handlers. Whilst I was there, the two young elephants would go out walking daily with Miss Elly and Lulu, together with their minder. From a distance we could watch the four of them interacting with one another. Their trunks, investigating the, new branches and leaves, which they came across whilst on their walk. Early in the morning when they are let out of their stables, their excitement can be seen as their tails are lifted high up into the air and the ears start flapping forward and backwards and they do the elephant jog, not quiet a walk but certainly not a run. We will be following their progress.

One of the Trust’s key species is the Southern African Hedgehog. This tiny spiky creature has become part of our lives in a “big” way! 2010 will be the first year that we will be releasing hedgehogs into the wild. Stuart and Michelle Johnson, who are based in Esigodini, will be heading and monitoring the release of these animals back into their natural environment. With every release project there are mortalities and steps which we take and then have to re-think and step in a totally different direction. Nonetheless, all these steps are vital for the further survival of this species. It still amazes me that there are so many people who are totally unaware that Zimbabwe even has its own hedgehog species!

On the 2^nd of September, Hooch our female wild cat started showing signs which were very similar of that to giving birth. Watching her closely we noticed that by early afternoon she was passing fresh blood. After phoning Clare Savage of Chisipite Vet Surgery, I asked if she would not mind coming on her way after surgery later that same day to check on Hooch. Returning to see Hooch after the phone call, it was evident that she was in terrible pain, arching her back and squatting at the same time. Quickly, we put Hooch into a basket, and called Clare telling her we were on our way and Hooch was not in a good way at all. Both Clare and Margie were quick to react to the very serious situation which we were presented with. Without delay, Hooch was anaesthetised, stomach shaved and Clare cut an incision down the length of her stomach. What Clare discovered was in fact a grossly oversized uterus, which was bleeding from a massive tear running the length of the organ almost to the external opening of Hooch’s genitalia. Literally had we waited another hour or two, it would have cost her life. Drs. Savage and Peacocke did a phenomenal job removing the damaged uterus and repairing the tear. The biggest concern was that Hooch’s bladder would function normally and pass urine out of the body, as opposed to leaking it into her abdomen.

Once sewn up, Hooch was brought home, put inside, on a hot pad, as after an operation of such magnitude, animals struggle to regulate their temperatures. Hooch is our “Grand Dam” who started our African wild cat project so many years ago. It has been a huge hurdle to over come and bring her through the worst of the operation. Despite all our efforts over those first few days, Hooch still developed a condition called, peritonitis and there were some very long and tense hours spent wondering if there was anything further one could possibly do. But true to her indomitable spirit, Hooch was very determined to see just how much extra special treatment she could get out of her adoring humans. Whether it was playing cushion for her to knead and sharpen her claws on, or delicately placing droplets of vanilla yoghurt on her tongue, or simply telling her how much we loved her, Hooch got the very best care and therapy. We are exceptionally pleased to report that Hooch is now almost back to normal, and is re-establishing her pecking order on the outside world. Being spayed now of course Hooch and Starsky are reunited without fear of producing any kittens – they are back in love – Hooch of course in total control of their relationship!

We here at the Trust, would like to thank all of you, who make it possible for us to continue doing the work that we are doing. Each week brings with it new challenges as well as a heart sore story – thankfully due to your support we are able to address each issue and try to solve it, to the best of our ability.

To Inspire!

Means to invoke some form of emotion, be a good one or bad one, either way you are moved to feel.  Living is about feeling!  In Zimbabwe we are pushed to the limits where I fear that sometimes we wish we could no longer feel.  When this happens, I force myself to take note of those “moments” in life, like the smell of rain falling against the dry ground, the impala lambs pronking in the long grass – delighted with being alive.   The cries of the fish eagle and the early morning call of the wood dove, all of these “moments” make me realise that I am alive and I am home.  Zimbabwe over the past six months has yet again been on another rocky road.  We keep, believing that we will find the silver lining; well I look into the future with apprehension that after the past ten years we are just going to have to know that this is home and the reasons why it is home and why we are all still here and not going anywhere.  Where else on earth could we be given the opportunities which we are exposed to here?  This is something I ask myself daily, as having lived in Europe for seven years – I was very aware that over there, it is all about what piece of paper you have. In extreme contrast here, it is about strength of character and determination.  Perhaps for these reasons we persevere and live in the hope that things will improve, however I do think it is more a question of learning to adapt to the situation. 

 Adaptation is something that everything, including our wildlife, will have to learn to do if they are to survive.  The poaching has most certainly not improved – maybe it has decreased some what, due to the rains and denseness of the bush.  Or perhaps the wildlife is just not there any longer as the numbers have been poached out of all recognition.  Here at the Trust we have had a very interesting time over the past six months.  Our main aim currently is to work with the relevant departments to amend and develop further laws which are to protect Zimbabwe’s wildlife both in the wild and in captivity.   Our Department of Parks and Wildlife Management Authorities are aware that these issues need to be addressed and have asked the Trust to work with them to try and bring our laws up to date.  You might be saying to yourself why waste your time as Zimbabwe has no law and order.  You would be correct in one sense, however if we are to move forward with protecting our wildlife, we firstly need to protect our environment as without the environment, there is no where for the animals.  In a court of law, our heritage which is both the environment and wildlife need to be given rights, as without those rights we have nothing to fight for.  Back at the centre however, we have certainly had our hands full over the past six months. Here follows the animal news from the centre:

 We have three young antelope orphans; Bramble and Blue Bell the steenbok and then Willow our leggy impala.  All three are doing very well, and have now learnt about solid food and which fruits they enjoy eating the most. We are delighted when the Swales family of Darwindale area (Bramble’s original family) are in town and they come and see Bramble.  It is truly amazing to see how much he enjoys the interaction with the Swales family and how he remembers them, particularly the two children. 

Civet

Francis continues to test us in the department of civet behaviour!!!  Just when we think we have cracked the formula for Francis, something happens in her brain and she behaves completely contrary to what we want her to do.  What we have come to understand, is that civet are very routine minded and should there be any alteration to that routine, then the civet seem to panic.  Due to the abuse that Francis endured at the beginning of her life, I fear that as soon as she feels she is not in control of her situation – she starts looking for a way out and that ends up making her pace.  Thankfully, as soon as Francis see either myself or Ellen, she calms down and allows us to pick her up and carry her off to her bed, where she will remain for the rest of the day until we wake her up in the late afternoon, in time for her day to start!  With Rafiki’s relocation to Bushman Rock Estates release site, we decided to move Francis into a larger enclosure.   Initially, even though it was a bit daunting for us humans, as we wondered whether the bigger space would intimidate our already nervous civet. We could not have been more wrong – in fact by her third day in the enclosure Francis had found a comfortable spot out of sight in the ivy and promptly put herself to bed. She adapted very well to the new enclosure, and proved to be a first class pest remover – taking great relish in eating all the rose beetles off the roses.  However, it was not always plain sailing from this point on, she has had moments when she exhibits her same neurotic tendencies and occasions when we still have to “put her to bed”. But overall, it has been a good move for Francis and the next step is to introduce her to one of the male civets either Badger or Assisi. 

African Wild Cat

2009 was a very sad year for the African wild cat.  We had to say goodbye to Asia and Siam.  I had hand raised Asia from the point that she came into this world and to have to see her leave it – was indeed a very sad day.  To say I had developed a strong bond with Asia is most certainly an under statement.  She was the wise soul whom I could talk to about all the wows that came my way – somehow she seemed to understand them as well as have the answers to them. On 13^th June 2009, Asia suffered from what we believe to be a heart attack and death was instant, so thankfully suffering was minimal.  Siam, who was imported from South Africa at the same time as Francis, was a truly amazing character.  Even through the cell that he had to endure for more years than we will ever know, the minute he arrived at the Trust, his heart was lifted and he remained a happy and contented animal right up to the day he had to be humanely euthanized.  On arriving in Zimbabwe we noticed the Siam did not have the strength to spray when urinating.  At first we thought he was too weak to be able to do that.  But later on we saw that he had blood in his urine.  After antibiotics and a visit from the vet, we realised that he would always have a weak bladder and it was just something we had to monitor and address when there appeared to be a problem.  On 7^th December 2009, we could see the Siam was not his normal self at all, so we put him on another course of antibiotics.  After the first twenty four hours of being on antibiotics under normal circumstances he would improve, but this time Siam did not. He had also had lost his appetite, which was not at all normal for him.  Dr Margie Peacock came round to see Siam to see if she had any other ideas as to how to help Siam. It was decided was that we needed to operate on Siam to see what was going on inside.  My gut feeling about this was not good and I felt that this was perhaps the end of the line for Siam.  I did not want him to suffer in any way and so discussed with Margie that if we did find anything during the operation we would do what was best and kindest for Siam.  The day of the operation, 10^th December 2009, was very sad indeed.  Siam was a perfect patient, he took the dormicum and after twenty or so minutes was drowsy enough for us to put him in the basket and take him to the surgery.  At the surgery he was shaved and washed ready for the operation.  No sooner had Margie opened Siam she could feel that the bladder was not the right size.  On looking at the bladder it was four times the size a normal bladder should be and had become a mass of calcified tissue, a sure indication of cancer. Basically, the bladder was no longer functioning as a “balloon” as such, it could not expand and contract, and therefore Siam was constantly urinating very small amounts. There was definitely no way around this malignancy and instead of letting him suffer, we had to let him go.

Serval : Shenzi and Rafiki

In mid January 2009, a totally unplanned incident took place, two of the four resident servals at Bushman Rock Estates, got out of their enclosure.  Shenzi (female) and Rafiki (male) were paired up in November 2009 after Rafiki returned to the Trust from another release site, Marula, where he was not settling down to wild life. After a stint on his own at the Trust, it was apparent that Rafiki required other serval company and thus the decision was made to move him to Bushman Rock where he would have the company of three other serval, the brothers, Bilbo & Gandalf and Shenzi. It was a very good move for Rafiki, as his shy and retiring nature seemed to match Shenzi’s aloofness. Both, Shenzi and Rafiki were implanted so that they could not breed.  After a week of getting to know one another from two separate enclosures, the inter-leading gate was opened and the pair, were given the opportunity to meet unfettered. Shenzi immediately employed her climbing skills and decided to examine the newcomer from a lofty viewpoint. Rafiki, ever the gentleman, stayed politely at the bottom of the tree for some time! And so the friendship was born………After two and half months of a blossoming relationship, the two have decided to test their bond in the wild and we are very happy to report that despite the unplanned manner in which this release took place, it has been incredibly successful. The pair return to the enclosure nearly every night to eat (food is still left for them in the enclosure) and are seen regularly on the property.  This is a testament to two happy, well-adjusted cats and for us this is immeasurable success, as Rafiki hated being in the wild at Marula and Shenzi was just born to be wild.  The brothers Bilbo & Gandalf will remain in the enclosures as Bushman Rock is too small for there to be three males roaming around freely.

Nutkin

On 27 January 2010, we had a visitor.  We got an unexpected visit from one of our meat sponsors, Graham and his fiancée Jo. Instead of bringing meat however, they had a furry bundle of another kind – a 62g tree squirrel, simply called…… Squirrel.  Jo had been hand raising the little girl until she weaned herself off milk, but unfortunately they had cats at home which would make keeping the squirrel difficult, not to mention heart-breaking if anything were to happen. So Squirrel “Nutkin” joined the extended family at Greenhills. On arrival Nutkin was quite happy to go to any hand, so long as that included stroking and tickling! She now resides in the Nursery room, where she has her very own squirrel box, complete with water drinker and shiny food dish attached, a zoo of stuffed toys to play with and a veritable condominium of drawers all with blankets in, which she tests with great relish.  She lives for her Vaseline lid top of cerelac each and every morning.  No sooner have you walked into her room with the lid of cerelac but the chatter starts and her two hands are out stretched for that food!  Nothing can be discussed before she has devoured the contents entirely.

Hasha

With the onset of persistent rains, it proved to be very depressing for our aging aardwolf, Hasha. It is often believed that winter takes it toll on the old, but the constant wet and damp has equally a debilitating effect. Even with constant warm bean bags and two meals a day of yoghurt and cerelac, this did not help her state of health.  Due to her age, Hasha had started doing less and less and sleeping more and more.  Very quietly on the 3 February 2010,  Hasha went to sleep for the last time in her house, hot beanbag and tartan rug at her side, closing her eyes to the soggy world and dreaming, I am sure, of a hot dry one where she could lie in the sun.

This year started with saying goodbye to some very special friends and welcoming new ones into our lives.  We are confident that 2010 will see new developments in the welfare of animals here in Zimbabwe and will endeavour to make sure that the Tikki Hywood Trust raises its voice for those who have none.

Readers, you have every right to wonder where we have been!!! Sorry once again for our silence and lack of informing you on what is going on in our lives of conservation here in Zimbabwe.

It has been a very difficult as well as an emotional time for all at the Tikki Hywood Trust, to make the decisions we have had to make.  With the current situation here in our country from an economic, political as well as poaching front, we have decided that we will no longer be breeding, as we can not ensure the survival of our animals and the probability of them not being poached remains very slim.

The land issue continues to create huge uncertainly here in Zimbabwe, and without any land tenure it is difficult for Zimbabweans, and for that matter outside investors to feel confident in Zimbabwe.  Without confidence you are not able to proceed with positive and or pro-active ideas and future planning for wildlife and industry.

It is vital that we continue to work with our Department of National Parks & Wildlife Management Authorities in improving the legislation for the wildlife.  This year alone we have managed to increase the poaching fines to realistic levels, as well as make sure that they are payable in US$, a more stable currency.  Bail for any offender involved in poaching of any wild animal has been denied – this is a big step in the right direction, as many culprits flee once they know they might have a pending court case.

Currently at the centre we have African wild cat, African civet, Bat-eared foxes, Genets, Serval and Southern African hedgehogs that are all capable of breeding.  In all of these species we are exploring various means of contraception. We are using a contraceptive implant called Suprelorin, which is presented in a subcutaneous insertion containing 4.7mg Deslorelin. It is mostly used in males for contraception, but can also be used in females, so as a result we have used this implant in females of the following species : Genet, Bat-eared Fox and African wild cat. We have also used the same implant for our male serval, even though we currently only have him on the property and he does not have a breeding partner. We have implanted Rafiki firstly to gauge his response to the contraception and also in the hopes that the hormone adjustment may help him re-adjust to captivity as he is quite a nervous cat.  Even though we may not be breeding our species, we aim to continue assisting them through research and creating better handling and care techniques for those still in captivity.

A good look at India’s teeth shows she has a plaque build-up that will need to be scraped.

India receiving her implant

Sahara under anaesthetic ready to receive the implant

Measuring Sahara’s teeth

Furry Bat-eared Fox paw!

Rafiki receiving his implant

Perfect serval teeth!

Checking on Rafiki’s weight – we are pleased to note that he has picked up nicely since coming back to the Trust

However, there is one species that we can’t NOT breed, due to their small size and manageability, as well as their incredibly low numbers countrywide, and that is our very own Southern African hedgehog. With the success that we had in the previous breeding season of 2008, we have to continue with this winning formula and start getting more hedgehogs back into the wild where they belong. But, they are certainly at no less risk of being decimated, so this makes it a very difficult decision to attempt any release. Also, due to the fact that so little is known about these animals we cannot afford to miss an opportunity to observe them and therefore must determine the best post-release tracking methods possible. For this reason we have identified an area in the south of Zimbabwe which is ideal terrain and we will establish a release program there for some of the recently bred hedgehogs. This is going to be a very thorough and long-term project, so we will keep you posted! For the time being, we would like to ask our readers to think about hedgehog tracking and give us some ideas…….