Day 4 Onderstepoort and Loskop river

We packed up and left the guesthouse to go to the University of Pretoria veterinary school, the only vet school in Africa. We had a tour of the teaching facility, grounds, and the animal hospital. It was cool to see, it was a very big school.
We then traveled 3 hrs to the Loskop river nature reserve. Along the way we drove through poor townships. Houses made of either concrete or scrap metal, with dogs, chickens, and goats running around. There were government signs cautioning against spreading HIV.
Once at the reserve, we met with Nic and Colin, two tracking and wildlife guides and we took a relaxing 45 min. boat ride to our camp, Imbambala. We saw lots of wildlife on the way, Impalas, kudus, cormorants, fish eagle, and a giraffe! the park is 23,000 Ha, and hosts a variety of wildlife. It is a conservation park for research and tourism. Poaching still occurs here, mainly for the white rhinos. They cut off the horns and sell them.
We went for a night safari drive and it started to rain with thunder and fork lightening. We saw two warthogs, they run fast! it was beautiful scenary.

A little love goes a long way.

Day 3: CLAW and 'Soul City'

Like yesterday, we started off at the CLAW veterinary clinic where we spent some time with the dogs who are there until they find their forever home. I fell in love with one of the dogs, she had no front paw and bite and wire marks on her muzzle. Luckily (for Neal) she is adopted because I was plotting with Alysha on how we would bring her home to Canada. We also saw our biliary dog from yesterday. She was brought to us looking very lethargic, foaming at the mouth, febrile and jaundice. Alysha and I administered steroids, Vitamin B for the liver, and Berenil to kill the protozoan. She was brought to the CLAW clinic for IV fluids. Today she looked much brighter! There was also a puppy from yesterday who was about 4 weeks old who was lethargic, had pale gums and was not eating. We took him to the clinic as well and found out today that he had biliary disease. This is extremely rare in puppies and was fourtunately diagnosed early by an awesome vet.

After the clinic we headed to another township, this one called 'soul city'. It was more poor than the one we were at yesterday. A few of the CLAW men drove around the streets letting everyone know we had arrived. People started to carry in their dogs to us. They let their dogs roam around or keep them tied up with chains or electrical wire. Sometimes a dog has never had a collar (called a belt here) on and get restless when you put one on them. We administered rabies vaccines and other treatments if they promised to sterilize their dog. We treated only one cat today. We saw a dog with distemper- foaming at the mouth and neurologic. It was interesting to see as we don't come across that in Canada much. There was a dog that had been in a dog fight, and we cleaned up his wounds. We found that the township dogs are very well behaved and socialized, we think from being able to roam and interact with each other so much. There are also some funny looking breed mixes, for instance 'Shorty' from the clinic, is a Pittpull Bassett hound cross.

We learned that to rent a shack in the township costs R800 ($115) per month, while their salary is R2000 ($285). We had an amazing experience the last 2 days and will miss the work that we did with CLAW.

Our title was chosen to really drive the point home that both the clinic and the people have so little and yet do so much for their animals. We saw how one little thing like a rabies vaccine did so much and this gave us a whole new respect for CLAW and what they do.

The sun will eat you up.

Day 2: CLAW (Community led animal welfare) and Soweto

The above quote was said by Chris, our driver and knowledgable guide at the breakfast table. We had also heard this from other South Africans. After this warning, we loaded up on sunscreen, water, a hat and our Ecolife coveralls and then set out to Soweto (short for "South West Townships"). Soweto was formed during the days of apartheid - a way of moving nonwhites out of the city in order to control their movement and keep them close to be used as workers for the wealthy whites. We then met up with Cora and Jen from CLAW (www.claw-sa.org/). Cora is the director of CLAW and Jen is an AHT. CLAW is a veterinary clinic sponsored by IFAW, who offer free vet services for the animals in the township. They get up to 10 dogs/cats in 1 day which gives you an idea of how many animals are at the shelter at one time. Many suffer from biliary disease caused by the protozoan Babesia and Erlichia (both tick borne diseases), some from malnutrition, mange, and abscesses from fighting. The worst was a dog named Phoenix who was set on fire and now has burns along his body as well as a lack of ear tips as they fell off. He seems to be doing well in the shelter and now needs a home! We were actually suprised by how well the animal's conditions were, rather than being worse off, they were fairly healthy. We could see how much these animals meant to the local people. We set up a day clinic in the township and did physical exams, vaccines, deworming, tick treatment, recording and education. We had to tell them why sterilizing was so imporant (less unwanted puppies, less likely to roam, etc). There is a rabies outbreak at the moment, a 6 year old girl was bit over a month ago and died around the area. So, rabies vaccines and education is very important here!
After a whole day of vaccines and treatments, we had the privilege of seeing the children in the community practice their dance. Then we took a walk through the streets of Soweto to visit an after school program and deliver colouring books to these children. The people are poor, this was made evident by their housing and the garbage and sewage running in the streets. But they are happy and we felt a strong sense of community. It made us feel very lucky to have what we have.
Cora as a director of CLAW, dispells rumors that they "old wise man" in the village tells everyone. Some examples are, if dogs eat spiders they will be strong, and if a dog eats canned fish it's skin will fall of. It was interesting to see that this is what people beieved and how this influenced their care of the animals.
After this, we packed up and went back to the B&B - we are happy to report that the sun did not eat us alive, yet!

Never Underestimate the Power of One.

Day 1:
After arriving late last night and then waking up for an early breakfast, we went to the University of Pretoria where we had 2 different lectures - one about the history of Africa, which was where the above quote was said which really got us thinking about what we could do in this world. Our second lecture was by Professor Wouter van hoven on wildlife manangement and conservation. We were challenged in our ethics when the discussion turned to elephant culling. The population of elephants in Krueger National Park has increased due to mismanagement and the lack of natural predators. This got us thinking about culling as an option of managing the animals plus the ecosystem as a whole. Professor Wouter van hoven also touched on water pollution and the effect on Crocodiles, Chimpanzees and Gorilla decline in Gabon, Cheetah and Leopard breeding, Lion ranching, Hippopotamus culling and how hunting is a huge income for people in South Africa. It was interesitng to hear the reasoning of why some things exist and the opinions of different people all over Africa.

After lunch we went 1.5 hours on a bus to Ukutula, a lion sanctuary. They had a breeding program with the special "white lion" and the "Kalahari lions". A multiple of things are conducted at this sanctuary such as: reasearch, breeding, release and being a part of the first 4D live images with embryo development (search the DVD: Pioneer films "In the Womb: Cats"). We were able to get up close and personal with the lions including holding and petting the cubs and a cheetah. After we played and had many pictures taken with these incredible animals, we went for a tour of the older lions. We went by bus and then walked the perimeter of the pens. We saw some juvenile males and females and then moved onto the adult males and females. It was incredible to see how big their canines are! We also had the privilege of seeing a 2 year old tiger that was rescued as well as 2 tiger cubs (which are not found in South Africa). They also made one of our group members run away from the pen pretending to be limnping so that we could see the degree of instinct and reaction to "hurt prey". After our tour was done, we went and watched the 4D video. We also learned that the sanctuary offers "Walk with the Lions" which is exactly as it sounds. We unfourtunately did not have any time to do this, but it sounded like a great opportunity. On our way out, we saw 2 juvenile bull girrafes. It was then time to call it a day.

NOTE: Pictures to come as we cannot upload them on this computer at the B&B we are staying at.

Itinerary

Day 1, Sunday 03 October: Arrival

On arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, we will be met by EcoLife staff members and transferred to the guesthouse, close to the University of Pretoria.

Day 2, Monday 04 October: Orientation, Pretoria and Lion Park

We start our expedition by attending a morning workshop at the Center for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria. We meet with Professor Wouter van Hoven who has been involved in the pioneering of wildlife management in Southern Africa, and learn about the latest developments in wilderness management. After lunch we visit a lion park and get up close and personal with lion cubs.

Days 3 and 4, Tuesday 05 and Wednesday 06 October: Community Veterinary Services

After breakfast we travel towards Soweto, the sprawling black city adjacent to Johannesburg to join CLAW, (Community Led Animal Welfare) for two days. This is a world renowned group of dedicated animal lovers and veterinarians who volunteer their professional skills and time to poor Black African townships to create a better awareness for the care of their pets and domestic animals. We spend two days working with the mobile clinic.

Days 5 - 8, Thursday 06 to Sunday 10 October: Veterinary School and Wilderness Training

We check out of the guest house after breakfast. The expedition continues with a visit to Onderstepoort, just north of Pretoria. As guests of the famous Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria we are hosted on an interesting tour of its facilities and campus. After this visit we travel eastwards to a private camp in the Bushveld on the banks of the Loskop Reservoir. This wilderness reserve surrounding the reservoir is a pristine area in which to learn practical bush skills, track wildlife on foot and study wildlife behavior, and is perfect for learning how animals and man utilize plants. Weather permitting we will also do some abseiling.

Day 9, Monday 11 October: Driving to Swadini

After breakfast we depart from the camp by boat to take us back to the bus and depart for the Blyde Canyon. We arrive and check in at Swadini Resort in the beautiful Blydepoort Nature Reserve at the foot of the majestic northern Drakensberg Mountains (Mountains of the Dragon).

Day 10, Tuesday 12 October: Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Reptile Park

We visit a world renowned wildlife rehabilitation centre. The care and rehabilitation of a wide range of wildlife species will be experienced and demonstrated first hand. After lunch we visit a reptile park where we get up-close with some local snakes and reptiles. We will also do a snake necropsy.

Day 11, Wednesday 13 October: Kruger National Park

We check out of Swadini and depart for the Kruger national Park. We arrive early afternoon and set up camp in Skukuza Rest Camp.

Days 12– 14, Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 October: Kruger National Park

The biodiversity of this jewel of wilderness area is spectacular, and the ideal area for observing and studying most of the wildlife species Southern Africa has to offer. The greatest attraction of this magnificent Park is the opportunity to experience African game viewing at its best; we enjoy an included sunset game drive to observe the Park’s natural inhabitant’s behavior at night.

Day 15, Sunday 17 October: Drive to Kokoriba Resort

We strike camp and take a final game drive as we exit the Pak en-route to our next destination. We arrive late afternoon at the Kokoriba Resort in the bushveld area of Brits. Here we move in to a youth hostel and settle in.

Days 16 – 18, Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 October: Hands-on Game Capture Course

The successful capture, handling and translocation of wildlife all contribute greatly to the wildlife veterinarian’s program. The next three days are dedicated to observing and learning about and participating in actual game capture operations under the guidance of a veterinarian.

Day 19, Thursday 21 October: Sondela

After breakfast we check out and commence our tour to arrive at Sondela Nature Reserve to set up camp. Optional activities the resort has to offer: horse riding, quad biking, hiking, game drives and relaxing at the swimming pool.

Day 20, Friday 22 October: Elephant project

After breakfast we drive out to Zebula Game Reserve where we meet up with a group of elephants and their handlers. We spend the morning interacting with the elephants and end our visit with a ride on one. Early evening we take part in darting practice and have the chance to test our skills by darting a moving target from a helicopter.

Day 21, Saturday 23 October: Sondela Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

After breakfast we visit the Sondela wildlife rehabilitation centre and spend some time interacting with the animals in the centre. After lunch we gather to write our final exam and get ready for our graduation ceremony around our last African bush fire.

Day 22, Sunday 24 October: Departure

Alysha will be heading back to Canada to start work at the Critical Care Veterinary Specialty clinic. Melanie will be meeting up with her boyfriend Neal in Cape Town and then on to Ireland before heading back to Canada. You can follow them at: melandnealvolunteersouthafrcia.blogspot.com/