4
www.thevillagenews.co.za
8 April 2020
Zwelihle’s Pied Piper of dogs ing her this refuge. Even though her money has run out, she continues to feed and care for the dogs, visiting Dubai twice a day, thanks to the food provided by HAWS and other generous donors such as Ebervet.
Writer & Photographer Hedda Mittner
T
he moment they see her, the dogs’ faces light up and they come rushing towards her, tails wagging, jostling for her attention. She knows each one by name, she knows their different quirks and personalities, their health issues and particular needs. When they get too rowdy, a few stern commands are all it takes for them to calm down. “We have a guest here today, so I want you to be on your best behaviour,” she tells them. I have accompanied Yvonne Wurster from Germany, who now lives in Zwelihle, on one of her daily excursions to the informal settlement known as ‘Dubai’, to feed the animals that live there. Yvonne, known as “the animal whisperer” since childhood, cares for up to 50 dogs and about a dozen cats that all depend on this heroic woman’s efforts for their survival and wellbeing. We met only days before the start of the national lockdown, which has not made her task any easier. Working in collaboration with the Hermanus Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Yvonne collects up to 100 kg of pet food every month and distributes it in areas where it is safe to say no white woman has gone before – let alone set up home. (It is right here in Dubai that she’d been living since she arrived in Hermanus 18 months ago, until moving away last month.) She not only feeds the dogs and cats twice a day, she also trains them, washes them, administers treatment for ticks, fleas, lice and worms, and assists HAWS by identifying animals that need to be sterilised, and referring sick or injured animals to the clinic for treatment. She is also on a mission to teach pet owners in the township, especially children, how to take proper care of their pets. Yvonne has worked with animals for 35 years. Growing up in Germany, where her father was a dog trainer at a US Army base in Karlsruhe, Yvonne always had a natural affinity with animals, and especially dogs. As an animal behaviourist, she has successfully rehabilitated traumatised dogs and managed to train and rehome countless neglected
Has she ever regretted her decision to sacrifice everything for these animals? I ask her. “It has not been easy,” she admits, “but I am dedicated to this path as I know the animals depend on me. Knowing what a difference I am making is its own reward.” The dogs in Dubai are always overjoyed to see Yvonne when she arrives on her daily visits. When she leaves, her friend Bob has to distract them so that they don’t follow her and run after her car. and abused dogs. She was involved with rescue centres in Germany and the UK, where she lived for several years, while also working as a private trainer. She eventually settled in Nigeria with her daughter, where she trained dogs for the Nigerian army and police. Living on a large property outside the capital city, Lagos, she also ran her own private security firm, with 28 dogs that she trained herself, many of them rescued from the streets. “I also rescued chickens, cats, monkeys, parrots, antelope… I had a whole zoo!” she laughs. When her daughter died suddenly in a car accident in Nigeria, Yvonne was devastated. She returned to Germany but, after 12 years in Africa, she found it difficult to readjust. “I had no family left and I withdrew from the world. The only ‘family’ I had were my animals.” During this time Yvonne befriended a Rastafarian called Bob Kune via Facebook. He told Yvonne about the housing problems in his home town of Hermanus and the plight of the many homeless dogs in Zwelihle. “He made me aware of the tremendous need here in the townships and I wanted to do something to help,” says Yvonne. In a bold move, she sold everything she had and travelled to Hermanus in October 2018. “Bob came to fetch me at the airport and I was introduced to his family. Although the living conditions in the township are very bad, especially in the new informal settlements, I was
warmly welcomed and never felt unsafe,” says Yvonne. She put up her own shack in Dubai, in an area known as the Rastafarian camp, where Bob also lives. “I lived there just as everyone around me was living, and I became part of the community. The only difference was that I had a car, and was able to install a water tank, solar power and a small generator,” she says. “It’s not an easy life, being surrounded by poverty, depression, drugs and alcohol abuse, and I was glad to help out in small ways. For example, over weekends I would treat the children to a movie and a warm meal. Their love and gratitude more than made up for the lack of home comforts I had been used to before.” Most of all, though, Yvonne’s new life revolved around the animals. “It was quite a challenge,” she says. “When I first started caring for the dogs, most of them did not have owners and were running wild. As I bonded with them, some of the more aggressive dogs became very territorial and protective of me, which created a potentially dangerous situation. It is important that the pack is balanced, which is why I had to make the painful decision to move away from there and also had to relocate some of the dogs.” Yvonne has now moved her shack to the backyard of the house of Bob’s family in Zwelihle. The space is so small that she had to reduce the size of her shack to fit onto the erf, but she is grateful to the family for offer-
But surely there must be some things from her old life that she misses, I insist. Yvonne has to think long and hard, but eventually she says: “When you work with animals, you have to be centred, you have to feel calm and peaceful in order to have control. That is difficult to achieve when you are living in crowded conditions with high noise levels. So yes, if there is anything I do miss it is privacy and some me-time, where I can just be quiet and meditate… “And a long, warm bubble bath!” she adds with a big laugh. Yvonne is offering her services as a professional dog trainer / behaviourist and can help with basic training, puppy training, recall training, the introduction of a new pet, or any behavioural problems such as aggression or disobedience. “Whatever the problem or the age of your pet, it is never too late,” she says. “Your pet deserves to live a full and happy life.” Yvonne can be contacted on 061 437 5079.
Support Overstrand’s animal welfare societies • The kennel and cattery staff, as well as the veterinarian and clinic staff of the Hermanus Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) continue to work during the lockdown as essential workers. They are doing their best to continue caring for animals in need by distributing food in underprivileged communities, and by treating, feeding and exercising those in the kennels and cattery during this difficult time. Although the kennels are closed for the public during the lockdown, the clinic is open for emergencies. 4 Steenbras St, Hermanus Industria. Call 028 312 1281 or 072 360 0102. Financial contributions and donations of dog food are always warmly welcomed. Bank details: Hermanus Animal Welfare Society, Standard Bank, Acc no. 082 263 310, Branch code 050312. • Kleinmond Animal Welfare (KAWS) is also appealing to the community for assistance in feeding the animals in underprivileged areas, where many pet owners are not able to work during the lockdown and cannot afford to buy food for their animals. Donations of pet food can be put in the KAWS food bin at the entrance to Kleinmond Spar for collection and distribution by KAWS staff members. Banking details for financial contributions: Kleinmond Animal Welfare Society, FNB Hermanus, Acc no. 626 896 36458, Branch code 200412, REF: Community feeding. Corner of Protea and Main Rd, Kleinmond. Call 028 271 5004. • BARC Gansbaai Animal Welfare: Plot 210, Voortrekker St, Gansbaai. Contact Nols on 083 742 3903. Bank details: Nedbank Gansbaai, Acc no. 1498103006, Branch code 198765.
Yvonne in front of the shack where she now lives in Zwelihle, after more than a year in the informal settlement of Dubai.
GET CASH BACK AND FREE MEMBER BENEFITS If you as the policy premium payer are claim-free for five consecutive years, you’ll get your fifth year’s premiums back in CASH*.
MEMBER BENEFITS* In the event of retrenchment, the policy premium payer receives a six-month premium holiday
PLUS FREE funeral benefits* provided by AVBOB Funeral Service
You get ALL this on top of your full policy pay-out – it’s all 100% FREE* to AVBOB members.
Contact AVBOB Hermanus on 028 312 1156. *Terms and conditions apply. Free funeral benefits only apply if AVBOB Funeral Service conducts the funeral. AVBOB is an authorised financial services provider. AVBOB is a level 2 B-BBEE contributor. FSP 20656. www.AVBOB.co.za Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
AVB-VIL-191127
A FREE basic funeral valued at R11 000, which includes the funeral arrangements, a specified coffin and hearse A R2 500 immediate cash payment for initial expenses FREE transport of the deceased within the borders of South Africa
