30 September 2020
19
www.thevillagenews.co.za
Donkey sanctuary launches equine sterilisation programme Writer & Photographer Toni Younghusband
G
reyton’s ever increasing horse population poses a significant traffic threat in the small town, and urgent measures are needed to stop this equine explosion, says EARS donkey sanctuary founder Jo Sedgwick. “We already have between 500 and 600 horses in this area and those numbers will grow as there are many mares pregnant again,” Sedgwick says. EARS is hoping to launch a mass horse sterilisation programme, provided it can raise the funds. Last year the donor-funded organisation gelded (sterilised) 33 stallions, and this year it would like to sterilise at least as many, if not more. “There are owners who are willing to have their horses sterilised but these are poor people who can’t afford the veterinary fees and so year after year their mares give birth.” EARS rescues and rehabilitates donkeys and offers community equine support to impoverished horse owners living in Greyton, and neighbouring Genadendal, Voorstekraal and Bereaville. Horses free-graze on verges and in open fields in Greyton, but Sedgwick says there is simply not enough grazing around the town to support this many horses, some of which suffer
life-threatening ailments because they end up grazing at the town’s rubbish dump. On Friday, sanctuary manager, Penny James, was called to attend to a horse that had ingested plastic and chicken bones at the dump. It costs about R750 per horse to geld, provided there are no medical complications. The horses are gelded where they are standing and the procedure takes no more than an hour or so. EARS is also hoping to provide chemical sterilisation for many of the mares. It lasts up to six months, giving the mares a much-needed break from multiple pregnancies. EARS is a registered non-profit organisation, relying solely on donations for the work that it does. The Sanctuary supports 20 permanent donkey residents, and offers temporary shelter to horses that are ill or neglected. It also responds to equine emergencies and helps educate horse and donkey owners. Visitors and school groups are welcome to visit the sanctuary, which lies about 10 km outside of Greyton. Horse and cart rides are a popular feature at Greyton’s Saturday morning market and EARS works with owners to ensure their horses are healthy and properly shod. If you would like to donate to the EARS gelding programme, the bank details are: EARS, Absa, Acc no. 9309869152. For visits to the sanctuary, call Penny on 082 660 6714. Visits are by appointment only.
ABOVE LEFT: EARS donkey sanctuary founder Jo Sedgwick gives rescue donkey Henry a cuddle. ABOVE RIGHT: EARS donkey sanctuary manager Penny James with a foal taken into temporary care. LEFT: Free-grazing horses pose a traffic hazard in Greyton.
Rescued grysbokkie doing well We promised an update on the grysbokkie that was rescued last week after she was spotted in an urban green field, on the wrong side of the Main Road in Hermanus. On closer inspection, she was found to be injured and, on top of that, pregnant. She was transported to a vet, who splinted the fractured hoof bone. A safe place on a farm in the Valley was offered where she could recuperate until the hoof healed and the fawn delivered. So what has happened since then? The most urgent thing was to reduce any stress on the bokkie to avoid a miscarriage. Then it was vital to find out what to feed her to maintain good nutrition for both mom and fawn. Her care team offered her a selection of fynbos plants each evening. Grysbokkies are nocturnal, so they eat at night. In the morning, it was easy to see what species she had browsed overnight. To make sure she was getting enough nutrition, she was also given lucerne, which is a good staple animal feed. As expected, bokkie loved the lucerne and polished off everything. She also ate a bit of each of the fynbos species offered, but she especially liked dried eucalyptus leaves from branches that were used to make a screen in her pen. That was a bit surprising. Bokkie also kept regular toilet habits – a good indication that she was eating well. After about a week in captivity, it was decided that bokkie should go to the vet for a check-up to make sure the hoof is healing correctly. A handicapped antelope would be very vulnerable in the wild and may not be able to raise her fawn. There is a chance that neither mom nor baby would survive.
The vet sedated her, and the splint and bandage were removed from her leg and X-rays taken. To everyone’s delight, the bone in her hoof was starting to heal in the correct position. It was decided not to replace the splint. It will be better to keep her quiet in captivity until the bone is sufficiently healed to release her into Fernkloof Nature Reserve. And what about the baby? While it was not possible to tell how imminent the birth is, an ultrasound showed a little heart beating beautifully. So good news for both Bokkie and baby – not to mention her human carers. Please donate towards the Whale Coast Conservation Wildlife Fund to cover vets’ cost for any wild animal that needs our help. Contact sheraine.wcc@gmail.com for details of the fund. – Anina Lee
L2L practice walks to kick off soon With the arrival of Covid-19 in South Africa, many organisations were forced to either cancel events or to make adjustments to the format. The same is true for the Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse committee, which started planning for the 2021 L2L Ladies Walk when the country went to Alert Level 2. Because events at that time were still limited to 50 people, it was decided to split the annual walk into two – one in February and one in May. “Even though we are now at Level 1 which allows for up to 250 people, we will still be splitting the main walk into two due to a lot of interest from walkers,” says L2L chairperson, Ronelle van Zyl. There will still be only one primary beneficiary who will receive the funds raised by the main walk, and a secondary beneficiary who will receive the funds raised by the practice walks that are held in the months leading up to the main walk. Thirteen local charitable organisations applied for funding from the 2021 L2L Ladies Walk and registered walkers voted for their top two beneficiaries. Voting closed on 28 September and the chosen charities will be announced in October. Last year’s primary beneficiary, The Butterfly Centre, received R800 000 towards the building of their new school, while the secondary beneficiary, Overstrand Hospice, received R100 000 to buy a new vehicle for their staff. Adjustments also needed to be made for
the practice walks. Whereas before anyone could just show up to join any of the practice walks, this year walkers need to register and buy a ticket online via Quicket (the details can be found on the Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Facebook page). The proceeds from these ticket sales will also go towards fundraising. The practice walks are only free for the registered walkers doing one of the main walks in 2021. On the same weekends that each practice walk takes place, there will also be a virtual walk which you can register for from anywhere in the world. “In order to limit the size of groups and ensure social distancing, supporters of L2L are encouraged to take part in the virtual walks in their area instead of driving through to Hermanus to join the practice walks here each month,” says Ronelle. Virtual walkers need to walk a minimum of 5 km and record their route and distance on their fitness app (STRAVA is a good recommendation) and then post a screenshot of the route, along with a photo/video of themselves on their walk to the Lighthouse 2 Lighthouse Ladies Facebook page. L2L would like to encourage the charities that applied, any interested sponsors, municipal officials and members of the public to join them on their practice walks to see what Lighthouse is all about and to meet the registered walkers who do this challenging walk each year for their local community. PRACTICE WALK DATES • 18 October 2020 • 15 November 2020 • 6 December 2020 • 17 January 2020 • 31 January 2020 (Official Practice Walk)
