By Janet Anne Cuthbertson | Project leader
Just two days before Christmas Nature has given us the most precious gift. Our orphaned Wildebeest “ FlowerPatch” now an adult, has become a new mother. Her tiny baby was born in the early morning close to my office window. Sometime later I took the new mother some wildlife pellets. As I stood near, the baby walked up to me and nuzzled my hand while calling softly. I do not encourage close encounters with our wildlife, but this was unexpected and my heart melted in a moment!
The new baby and her mother have a long and somewhat poignant history: About 2 years ago, I fed Flower Patch's mother (the baby’s grandmother) for the last 3 months of her gestation as she was very old and rather thin. I did the feeding at 10pm at night when I called her to keep her separate from the rest of the herd. Then, Flower Patch was born. Sarah named her.
Sadly, during a poaching event, (that was 2 years ago) the mother was snared and although we freed her, she succumbed to stress and did not survive. Thus Flower Patch who was still tiny, but just able to survive without milk, was reared by the Zebra. Stripy especially, took care of her.
Now a new chapter begins with the new tiny wildebeest. Many other wild babies are also being kept safe from poaching - thanks to your support we have not had any further incidences and during the festive season, our guards have worked diligently to keep our wildlife safe. We ourselves do patrols but it is with your help that we have managed to have such a successful outcome.
Wishing all a wonderful 2023 and thanking you again for your support!
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