Help Wildlife With Emergency Medical Treatment

More Good News!

The most amazing Blessing has been that our project was selected for the April 2023 “Project of the Month” We were overwhelmed by the honor and wonderful outcome of this selection which is enabling us to do so much more to ensure the safety and health of our wildlife!

One of the priorities is that we are now – at last – able to proceed with. is the building of a secure boma (enclosure) to enable us to treat injured or care for any orphaned wild animal with easier access and the ability to apply for medical assistance. Wild animals are of course somewhat different from domestic and even if they are friendly and allow one to approach them, it is impossible to hold them steady for treatment and they have to be sedated. Under sedation, they are easily treated for instance for a wound, but at times they need to be kept secluded to ensure healing and protection. Our Boma will be predator-proof and it will also include a stable and shelter. We may not be able to develop the full extent of the planned boma area but the Project of the Month outcome will enable us to at least begin with the most important basic structure and enclosure.

In the meantime, we have seen a Nyala antelope male that is limping. He moved off into the forest but our wildlife guard is looking out for him. If the limp does not heal (at times nature heals herself) then we will take measures to assist. Stripy one of our Zebra sustained a cut on her rump that we identified was from an extended piece of wire from the wildlife fence at the boundary of our 120-acre Nature Reserve. Luckily it was not deep so has healed nicely. Of course, we have checked the fence for any other problems and it is ok. However, we are going to be replacing the whole of the western boundary fence now as it is about 10 years since we erected it and it needs replacement. 

The rest of the wild are doing well and our previously orphaned "Flower Patch " wildebeest, now with her own youngster "Pollen" is well. "Pollen" her youngster is growing so quickly and his horns are about 50 cm long but still straight. The same-age young impala rams also have little straight horns and soon they will begin to curve. Now that winter has arrived, we are bringing in extra fresh hay and supplement feed for our darling zebra and wildebeest. The other animals are browsers or mixed feeders, meaning that they also eat leaves and herbs as well as grass so we do not need to supplement their food, although the nyala sometimes sneak up to also enjoy a little of the fresh grass/hay.

The monkeys are our delight and we greatly appreciate them as for many years they were not seen on our property (it was initially a part pineapple monoculture farm, that we bought to enable nature to return) It was only after 8 years that they returned as previous land owners would shoot them on sight!  The monkeys sometimes investigate to see if the zebra have perhaps left behind a few pellets of feed and we have seen them carefully brush off any sand and nibble on the little treat. But we do not feed them wildlife feed as this could lead to conflict.

As preventing any injury to our wild remains is our top priority, we are going to be acquiring a drone to assist with anti-poaching surveillance and we look forward to this. It would also help us to seek the nyala that is limping and further assist with surveillance of our Nature Reserve and its wild.

The final amazing news is that we have at last achieved the necessary criteria to be registered as a Nature Reserve and this will be published in the South African government gazette. To achieve this has taken 32 years of dedication to bring nature back to a once derelict property! We are Blessed and overjoyed to have achieved this outcome and met our dream to restore and protect the wonderful biodiversity of our property. We thank you all for your support through the years!