Ikhala Veterinary Clinic

On my wandering this morning looking for traps, I found many of them and some had dead animals still caught in the noose. But around 7 am, the first thing I came across was an apparently dead blesbok. After closer examination I realised he was alive but had two strands of wire around his neck and a number of strands round his back legs. I approached slowly and talked to him (one of my super powers is to be able to bore anyone into a stupor within seconds), he relaxed and I was able to stroke him. Then I got the bolt cutters and cut away the wire around his neck and that around his legs.
However, he was not able to get up so I rubbed his legs, which were cold, in order to improve the circulation but still no joy. After eventually finding cell phone reception I called home and Pauline was able to contact Ikhala veterinary clinic who came out right away to assist. Dr Annie Mears checked him out and then she and her co worker managed to get him out from under the bush. The young blesbok was then given antibiotics, vitamins, his wounds sprayed and using a long tube and funnel, he had water introduced into his stomach for rehydration. He had probably been caught up in this trap for a couple of days or more.
It was time to try to get him to stand – which he eventually did but when he tried to run, he fell over. Again, he was helped to stand but ran and collapsed onto his knees. Finally, after being helped to stand once more, he did a bit of a run and then wandered off just a little bit unsteadily into the bushes and freedom. What brilliant work from Ikhala – can’t thank you enough and I imagine that goes for our new friend (let’s call him Iziyolo – happy) as well!