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.

Dear Readers,

It has been one of those nerve-wracking, heart-wrenching times here at the Trust where we have had to put aside our own selfish need to keep our animals safe and sound and in a controlled environment, and give them the greatest gift we can – their freedom. This has by far been one of the most agonising decisions, as we have three serval at the release site, mother and two offspring (who are young adults already)  and have already released the father, Mufasa in the area in February of this year.  If Mufasa’s release was anything to be measured by, one could easily understand our constant battle with the pros and cons of this release. To recap for those readers who do not know the full story:

Mufasa was hand raised by myself (Lisa) and obviously a bond had developed over time, between us.  As a human, I am always surprised at my own selfishness in wanting to keep all the animals I raise – just so that I know they are safe forever, and that I know that every day they have food, warmth and what I think they need.  But do we as humans really know what these wild creatures need?  With each release I am sure a piece of my heart goes with each one of these animals, who have become part of my family.  However, when I finally do have the joy of seeing them, walking freely in what is their new freedom – I realise that there is still, so much that we do not understand and that being wild is a gift beyond measure, which as humans, we can give to our fellow mammals, whom we share this planet with. Releasing is a very emotional step which I continue to struggle with even after doing it for so many years.  Each animal who takes their first steps into the wild, makes my heart stop and my mind full of what can go wrong.  It is so difficult being wild, when you are born into it.  So to be captive born, with all the theoretical warmth and comfort that goes with that, and then enter into this new world, has so much against these captive born animals.  Have we prepared them sufficiently, will they know how to react to all the new dangerous situations that they might find themselves in?  Only time, will tell and we will be the first to report back to you re the adventures in the wild.

And so the gate of the enclosure was opened on the 28^th February 2009 and Mufasa strode purposefully out to claim his wild heritage!

Mufasa was collared, so that we could track his movements and keep a protective eye on him in this new chapter of his life. However – this sense of security was to be short-lived, as he could no longer be detected after the third day of being out!  And this has been the same situation to this current date – Mufasa has still not been detected in any form shape or manner since March 2009.  When looking for a release site, a strict criteria has been developed and on top of the list is HUMAN MANAGEMENT.  Whilst being involved with the releasing of animals we have seen time and time again that the people who are on the ground are at first very excited to get involved with receiving our animals – but perhaps do not quiet understand the level of commitment and dedication that is required in order to return an animal back into the wild.  With Mufasa, there unfortunately was a change over in management and the tracking of him was overlooked for a two week period.  During the first month the animal has to be tracked daily – this was not done and hence Mufasa’s signal was lost!

So now the dilemma – what do we do with the remaining three? Arwen has been wearing a collar in the release boma for the same length of time as Mufasa and the Chishakwe Management have reported mixed strengths of its transmitting capability. Evenstar, the young male would prove to be the best candidate to be collared for release, as he is full size and due to his easy-going nature would possibly be easier to track and he is not intimidated by people in his vicinity, as opposed to his mother Arwen and sister Quickbeam who are both relatively shy cats.

So, a decision was made to only collar Evenstar, to remove Arwen’s old collar and then to release all three at the same time. The exercise began with Evenstar first, to knock him down with an oral sedative and them top him up with an injectable one so that he could be collared, measured and given all the relevant vaccines, and to be honest, give him what could possibly be one last touch.  The only hiccup in this whole procedure is that it was performed under a constant damp drizzle, as the December rains had made an appearance and certainly did not seem to want to let up!  However, releasing of cats is best done when the rains arrive as there will be plenty of prey out there for them.

Next were the two girls, Quickbeam appeared to have more resistance to the oral sedative and so we decided to rather give her the rabies vaccination with a pole syringe rather than have her fully unconscious.

Arwen proved to be the hardest to work with as she is incredibly elusive, so making sure she took the oral sedative fully proved to be a challenge. She too fought the drug and so had to finally be sedated with further drugs via a pole syringe. It was in these moments of dealing with Arwen under sedation that I finally realised that what we were doing for her was the kindest and greatest gift for this animal. Arwen has physically dropped a fair amount of condition in the preceding months, despite being dewormed and her food being increased. On removing the collar we also saw that it had been rubbing on her neck, knotting the fur and must have been uncomfortable to some degree. I felt sick knowing that I had imposed this discomfort on this animal against her will (although she accepted the collar and did not fight it). I also knew at that point that I would never put another collar on her again. Was Arwen trying to tell us that she had quiet simply, lost interest in life and wanted to be free?! To her the safety of the release enclosure was becoming more and more like a prison, and she was losing interest in life rapidly.

After all the procedures were done, it was time to let the cats all recover from the ordeal. We gave them a full day to allow all drugs to work out of their systems and to give them a very good feed! First on the menu…….. fresh guinea fowl!

The following day was the day of the release. Evenstar was to be the first to venture out the gate, having briefly re-acquainted with his mother and sister in the main enclosure. Watching him stride tenaciously through the gate was like watching your child head off to university – only for Even, this is the University of Life! We followed him like anxious parents, a fair enough distance away so as not to intimidate him, but just enough to maintain contact, albeit through the rhythmic beep of his collar. After about an hour it was apparent that he was going to take his time getting to know the immediate vicinity, so it was time to concentrate on the girls.

They however, did not seem as keen as Evenstar to venture out the gate under an audience; in fact they plain refused to go out even with the main gate open at 3 meters wide! So, passive tactics were employed – they were left to settle, for a couple of hours whilst we went back to the drawing board to sort out a camera trap. Coming back in the late afternoon – we set up the trap at the gate, and everyone left the area except me. We decided the fewer observers the more likely the girls would venture out at their own speed so I settled down in an unobtrusive spot to see what the girls would do.

Curiosity certainly overcame Quick as after a fair number of times sweeping past the wide open gate she decided to venture out. Her flicking tail reflected her indecisiveness, but she eventually stepped over the boundary, majestic little princess! Not even ten minutes into her new adventure, Quick had a close encounter of the wild kind – a pair of black-back jackal boys who were obviously regulars in the area. They trotted up to her firmly, ears flat, teeth bare, emitting little growly snarls and backs arched. Their demeanour was not necessarily fully aggressive, but they were indignant about this new arrival on their turf. Quick remained aloof and regal – held her ground and stretched that elegant neck just a little higher and longer than normal so she could look down on them. Her only hint of unease was the swishing of the tail tip. I, the heart in the mouth anxious human, camera tightly gripped in hand, held the moment for as long as I could before the wave of utter horrific imagination of “what could happen” overcame me. The only response I could fully justify (which thankfully was not to run and shout at the jackals like a hysterical human) was to do a poor impression of an impala snort! I am pleased to say that this produced the desired result of the jackals breaking their intense scrutiny of Quick and trotting off. Quick however did shoot me a rather withering look – you know the “I had it under control” type.

After that Quick continued her slow inspection of the “wild” and I was especially excited to note that she was heading in the same direction as her brother, Evenstar. I stayed put, watching for as long as I could in the fading light.

Arwen chose to remain as private as possible, not showing herself near the gate during the time I sat and waited. Again being human, I suppose I sought the self-gratification of seeing her walk free, whilst it was a moment for her to savour and her alone. We did manage to get a hint and a blur of a cat exiting the release boma much later that evening on the camera trap, which to our best presumption, was Arwen finally taking steps towards her independence.

From that day till this current date, there has been no conclusive sign of either Quick or Arwen. Evenstar has been tracked and found to be ranging further and further away, until the point that he has not been detected for over a week, possibly longer by the time our Readers see this report.

From a research point of view, this really has not been an ideal release. When there is no successful post release monitoring, it creates a gap in the information that we are trying to gather. But, perhaps this in itself is the lesson for these particular servals and in this specific situation. When one chooses the best circumstance for the individual animal, it is not always to say that the “science” will necessarily follow. Perhaps however the hardest reality of this whole event is to realise that freedom cannot be compartmentalized, it cannot be tamed with a tracking collar, or modified with behaviour training. When an animal accepts that freedom – it is all-consuming and forever. We as the people, who work with animals and feel it important enough to give them, this gift, must realise that it is the hardest and yet most unselfish thing we can do for them. There is also no guarantee that it will work or that the animal will strive in his or her new found freedom. We can only wait, watch and hope.

Dear Readers,

The prodigal Serval has become the wondering Serval! Rafiki is on the move again, this time hopefully to settle for the final time at Bushman Rock Estates where he will have the other serval company that he is so desperately seeking.

 After much deliberation we have come to a hard and fast conclusion: the Trust headquarters, although a veritable paradise in its own right, is simply not good enough for one lonely serval. Rafiki is a quiet cat by nature but is not entirely as solitary as the guide books would have us believe. He has always been around other serval, from being constantly with his mother, Muffet, to now not having anyone around, seems to have affected him deeply. Even when Muffet was released and Rafiki remained in the release boma, she would come and check on her son, so he had the comfort of always knowing that Mum was near. So Rafiki has gone to join the Bushman Rock Estates serval clan, who include Bilbo, Gandalf and Shenzi. Rafiki and Shenzi are in fact distantly related, so hopefully he will recognise this kinship and it will make him a little more secure.

As normal, in order to move Rafiki (as he is not totally hand tame – he was raised by his mother) we had to give him a light cocktail in a chicken head to make him sleepy. Our drug of choice is Dormicum ® (Midazolam for those who know the chemical terminology). At the Tikki Hywood Trust we have done extensive work with oral administration of Dormicum ® , as a less invasive method of sedating a captive animal. (as opposed to injecting the sedative). One of the wonderful, though potentially hazardous side effects of dormicum, is that the animal loses all fear of humans, and will often walk right up to you and allow you to touch them.

There is nothing that can fully describe the feeling of stroking a magnificent half king serval from the top of his broad head to the tip of his short, silky  tail, and him returning your gaze and responding with a companionable lick of his sand paper tongue!  This from a cat, who would normally crouch defensively, and hiss loudly with saliva flowing in warning!  In these magical moments one tends to forget all the problems, troubles and strife and remember why it is that we do what do for wildlife!

Mufasa as as kitten

On 28 February 2009, Mufasa was released at Chishakwe Ranch which is part of the SAVE Valley Conservancy in the south eastern part of Zimbabwe’s lowveld. Mufasa was rather reluctant to just walk out of his new enclosure which had been his home for the past three months. It took us a lot of enticing to get Mufasa to the open gate where we had placed meat. However, once he saw the open gate, he grabbed a piece of the meat and headed off into the veld surrounding the enclosure. Both Nick and I had the telemetry a receiver so that we could track Mufasa. At first he headed north, which was not quite where we wanted him to go, but he needed to explore on his own. This is his first time into the wild and I had the privilege of being a part of that. Once we had managed to redirect Mufasa from continuing his exploration to the North, we left him for an hour to be on his own. Later that same evening, we went back out to track Mufasa. At first I could not get a reading – you can just imagine my panic, the thoughts which travelled through my mind! Has he been attacked, killed? After 20 or so minutes the “beep beep” was heard and my heart relaxed! It is one thing to hear the beep and quite another to actually locate the animal which you are tracking. But after a while, there Mufasa stood, totally relaxed and at ease with our presence. There was, lots to tell about this new adventure. So over the next 20 minutes Mufasa and I walked together in the bush. It does not get better than this feeling. To walk and observe an animal whom you have raised – finally being free and doing what it is that wild animals do, is priceless. With him spraying branches and trees and talking all the while, it made me realise that Mufasa was where he was born to be. He came back to the enclosures, called to Arwen and then trotted back through his gate and into his own enclosure. I followed. Once in his enclosure, he started calling and making a lot of noise. Pawing and scratching at the ground, very excited, and chuffing all the while.

Mufasa coming out of the crate when first moved to Chishakwe Ranch

Mufasa was hand raised by myself (Lisa) and obviously a bond had developed over time, between us. As a human, I am always surprised at my own selfishness in wanting to keep all the animals I raise – just so that I know they are safe forever, and that I know that every day they have food, warmth and what I think they need. But do we as humans really know what these wild creatures need? With each release I am sure a piece of my heart goes with each one of these animals, who have become part of my family. However, when I finally do have the joy of seeing them, walking freely in what is their new freedom – I realise that there is still, so much that we do not understand and that being wild is a gift beyond measure, which as humans, we can give to our fellow mammals, whom we share this planet with. Releasing is a very emotional step which I continue to struggle with even after doing it for so many years. Each animal who takes their first steps into the wild, makes my heart stop and my mind full of what can go wrong. It is so difficult being wild, when you are born into it. So to be captive born, with all the theoretical warmth and comfort that goes with that, and then enter into this new world, has so much against these captive born animals. Have we prepared them sufficiently, will they know how to react to all the new dangerous situations that they might find themselves in? Only time, will tell and we will be the first to report back to you re the adventures in the wild.