Getting technical with the vets
Trip Start
May 25, 2005
1
63
284
Trip End
Ongoing
Hluhluwe,
South Africa
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Now James Herriott has always been a hero of mine, and indeed for years and years I justified my growing animal, insect and snail collection (you remember mum, the one I used to keep in the shoe box under my bed) as all part of my preparation to be a vet - specializing in exotic wildlife, naturally!
Well, mum threw those snails away and I cried and cried as the crows came and ate them all in front of my eyes. (Remember that part too, mum?) And despite hounding my friend's dad to take me out on his dairy vet round, something changed, and I became this geobiomolecularzooepidemiologist thing instead.
So whenever I get the chance to meet a real genuine vet, I get excited, nervous and that strange 'I've met a celebrity' zoned out expression that kids get when they are in the presence of greatness, or the latest boy band, whichever
Air current
!But not today. Today I would be professional. I would ask all the right questions, sound intelligent, and most importantly, get to the place on time!
OK! Hluhluwe....Hluhluwe.....well I am in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi park so it must be close by somewhere (scowling at the map)......Aha - Hluhluwe....alrighty then. We're off!
Perhaps it is simply that my mind is so focussed on my project that I seemed to notice more of the local animal economy in action todya, but it was literally hard to miss the cows that were grazing at the Memorial Gate exit.
Although there is nothing illegal with allowing your cows to graze up to the boundary of the park, having to stop to drive in and out is rather stretching, considering the conservation and disease aspects to my project.
All in all, there are plenty of opportunities for cows, goats and donkeys to wander up to the boundary fence, and considering I have spotted warthog and various antelope doing the same but from the inside, there is definitely the capacity for disease exchange between these two groups, wildlife and livestock
Baby Impala
.The photographs attached to this entry help to illustrate just how close they come to the park. The 'STOP' signs are the entrance to the park. Would you like to stand down wind of an animal that close that may have an infectious airborne disease like TB?
Anyway, as I swerved to avoid the rest of the cattle on the road to Hluhluwe, I made a note to find out what the vets thought about the local livestock situation.
Hluhluwe is undergoing a growth spurt. It now has two garages and a supermarket! It also has a new roundabout and road, and to celebrate, the new garage had sponsored a chap to dress up in the baking heat as Father Christmas and direct traffic into the forecourt.
Now, being new to this area, as soon as I saw a new road and a man dressed in seasonal red pointing to it, I figured it was the latest way to stop people going around the roundabout the wrong way. Goodness knows how many other people also found themselves at the petrol station, but I certainly wasn't the only person to drive straight through
Blue Skies
. Perhaps Santa would've been better off in a pair of boxers instead, as he was still there, jumping around in the sun when I left a couple of hours later.Navigating the six or so streets that make up the town, I found the State Vet's office without incident, and the meeting ensued. We gathered around a detailed map of the area, pointing out potential study sites, disease hotspots, market places, main routes, dip tanks and crush facilities (that you put the cattle in for examination). We chatted about the local awareness of disease, community education and the general public perception to vet 'interference' in farming issues.
It was certainly an education in rural life and I walked away unsure exactly how unsure I was now feeling. Could this project be viable after all? There was only was one way to find out!
Back to HIP, and a real treat. As if they knew I needed some encouragement, a herd of buffalo were grazing as I entered the park. Apart from the occasional glance, they made me feel particularly invisible with their indifferent attitude to my presence. Even the calves remained calm. What a great sighting!
Buffalo
And the rest of the afternoon turned out to be a day of babies.....I saw an impala nursery where six newborn infants were huddled together in the long grass for protection, while slightly older kids jumped and skipped around, testing their new legs. A family of warthog were snuffling along, the juniors seemingly having no problems keeping up or finding their own food.
A herd of giraffe presented five new youngsters, who desperately tried to hide by standing behind bushes only three feet high! They looked so funny, peering over the top of the vegetation, pretty much still in full view.
And the highlight, a twilight encounter with a Rhino family; mum, dad and baby all trotting along by the river and through to the veld for some late afternoon munching.
I can't get over how easy it is to see the wildlife here. The babies are numerous and look fit and strong. The grass is bright green and nourishing, and I am a very, very happy camper. If all the battles and sacrifices in life lead to experiences like this, then the work is worth it.
You can count me in!
