The Animal Angle by Sheila McCallum

Journal of the Durban & Coast SPCA Journal of the Durban & Coast SPCA

www.spcadbn.org.za August 2011 December 2010 ISSUE

Gille de Vlieg touches the trunk of Sally the Matriarch at Knysna, first of all to ask forgiveness for the tragic abuse elephants have suffered through the ages at the hands of mankind, and, secondly, to communicate with this stately and beautiful creature, who was so willing to be caressed and stood quietly with Gille for some time before moving off. Photograph: Ariella Kaplan

for your

CONTENTS I nside? what’s

REGULARS 4 5 6 13 12 31 24 29

EDITORIAL - Shirley Bell FROM THE DOG BOX - Chris Matheson PIGEON POST PRECIOUS PETS MORE DURBAN & COAST SPCA NEWS - Caroline Smith WHISKERS - Children’s Section Mary really did have a little lamb STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD HUMANE EDUCATION PROJECT - Laura Pretorius

FEATURES 10

ECR House and Garden Show - Caroline Smith

Bull Terrier Pup Rescue

Gin Trap causes terrible suffering

Introducing two new Yard Cats - Caroline Smith

Meat-free Mondays

The libido trade. The era of the airborne poachers

- Shirley Bell

Pup rescued from hot car

SPCA MyPlanet Me & MyPet Photo competition

Fireworks: Warning about Sky Lanterns

Modify the harsh “no pets allowed” ruling! - Shirley Bell

SPCA Yard Cats sponsorship Form

AUGUST 2011 ISSUE

Editor........................................Shirley Bell Designed by.............................Flying Ant Designs, Durban, (031) 309 5385 Printed by..................................Pen Print

Write to us at: P O Box 74495 Rochdale Park 4034 Switchboard: Inspectorate: Adoptions:

031 5796500 031 5796505 031 5796525

Fundraising: Boarding Kennels: Emergency after hours:

031 5796546 031 5796510 083 2126103

EDITORIAL

Our world can be toxic for pets

A quick survey of websites like petpoisonhelpline.com and poisonprevention.org reminds us that we live in a pretty toxic world, and that it’s even more potentially dangerous for animals, since they have no access to warnings. Certain substances that are fairly innocuous to us are potentially deadly to them. Many pet owners have become aware over the past few years that chocolate, especially black chocolate, is dangerous for dogs. While very small amounts of milk chocolate are unlikely to have toxic effects, dark chocolate and cooking chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, irregular heart rhythms, seizures, and even death if enough is ingested. Certain lilies are poisonous for cats, but plants that have been treated with pesticides can be deadly for both cats and dogs. Some years ago, my ten-month-old white boxer pup, Micah, succumbed to systemic poisoning several days after chewing a fuchsia root from a plant bought at a nursery. Analysis of the frothy white vomit she brought up showed that she had ingested both Dieldron and a lethal snail bait. Analysis showed that the plant had proved deadly to this dear little creature who had playfully chewed the plant (still in its basket from the nursery). Years after her death, I can still see her rushing joyfully to meet me as I went to collect her as a pup of a few weeks old. Be careful not only of snail and slug baits (which should not be used if there are pets in the home) but also of rodent poisons. Always wrap rodent poisons in small pieces of newspaper or brown paper and place them in places where pets have no access to them, like behind the stove or dishwasher. And always check every morning to ensure that rodents have not dragged the bait into a place where pets have access. These kinds of poisons can cause swelling of the brain, kidney failure and other serious symptoms and are often lethal. If a pet has ingested rat poison, it is vital that it receive injections of Vitamin K without delay. Do not hesitate and think treatment can wait until the next day. Haste is imperative. Even over-the-counter pharmaceuticals should always be kept in places secure from both children and pets, especially NSAIDS and antidepressants. Plastic bags are potentially highly dangerous to both children and pets. Always ensure that bags that have contained meat or anything attractive to pets are put straight into the refuse bin. To make doubly sure that there will be no access to them, expel any air from bags and knot firmly.

Teaching compassion is vital

When we began our SPCA Humane Education Project six years ago, we knew that we had to do more than teach people how to care properly for their animals. We knew we had to influence younger children, because callous attitudes towards animals begin at an

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

early age. It was a shock to find just how early these ruthless attitudes towards animals often become evident. For this reason, we have had to move our programme lower down in the primary schools our education officer visits. Worldwide research projects have shown that abuse of animals almost always progresses towards abuse of human beings, and animal abuse is even one of the symptoms of what might later manifest as psychopathy. Many children are never taught that animals are sentient because their own role models either do not know this or fail to think it of any importance. At times, this can even include teachers, as our education officer has found. So today the teaching of compassion is of primary importance in our education project. Many children have already become inured to treating animals like ‘things’ and are amazed to learn that they are intelligent, thinking, feeling creatures. An additional worrying concern is that many young schoolchildren are less able to communicate effectively today than they were when our project began six years ago. The consequences of economic deprivation, single parent or parentless families, and inadequate educational resources are evident in disadvantaged areas. There are striking differences between schools in which the principal has nurtured a feeling of pride and purpose and those where responsible leadership is lacking. It is hardly surprising that animals are often of little consequence when life comprises hardship and insecurity, although many pet owners who live in poverty do love and manage to care for their animals. But in general its propensity for violence has a harshening effect on the way our society lives. In such a climate, the plight of animals (and people) is not likely to improve unless compassion is taught from an early age by both family role models and teachers. Education of offenders is very much part of the role of our inspectors. Their job does not involve only rescuing and, if necessary, prosecuting, but teaching as well. Revisiting offenders to make sure that their animals are being properly treated is a vital aspect of their work. If we want our world to improve, we all have to behave as though we already have the kind of world we would most like to be living in.

Death of Glynn Anderson

We were deeply sorry to hear of the death of pet behaviour consultant, Glynn Anderson, well known for her ‘pet shrink’ articles and columns. Glynn said she could “train anything on four legs”, but actually had success with bird pets as well. Many people who consulted her over problem pet behaviour were astonished at her ability to turn a problem pet into a well-behaved one. She will be greatly missed. Shirley Bell, editor shirleybell@mweb.co.za Visit our website

FROM THE DOG BOX

FROM THE DOG BOX Things continue to go well, and when things go well it is generally not considered to be newsworthy. Nonetheless, it is very pleasing to be able to report that we continue to be in a good place – except in one area: we need more people to offer good caring homes to our animals. Strays continue to pour in. Loving homes are urgently needed. If people who are in a position to take an animal would just come and view the many beautiful strays in our kennels, most would find it difficult to go away without having chosen one for themselves. Having animals in one’s home is one of the more rewarding experiences that life is able to offer. The public continues to be very supportive of our charity shop. Goods pour in, and sales are excellent. We have had to build a book processing room to alleviate the overcrowding of the shop after only three years in its more spacious premises. Our indigenous gardens are cared for by Ladybird Landscapes who generously donate their services. Our well-maintained environment brings pleasure to many, including us, while the coffee shop offers good value and is an attractive venue with a restful outlook. Cars pour in and out of our grounds all day, many more than ever came to Cato Manor. We had a vision for this ‘new’ SPCA and now have the realisation of what was once just an exciting blueprint. I think it fair to say that it has surpassed our expectations, and for this we thank all those generous donors over the years who have made it possible.

Inspectorate

We are happy to announce that Inspector Alfred Mntungwa passed his Inspector’s examination some months ago and has subsequently obtained his Animal Welfare Assistant certificate that is an accompanying requirement. Being an inspector in the field of animal protection is a job that requires not only skill but courage, and we honour the members of our team who often have to cope with heart-breaking work and do so with such dedication.

Bat story

There is a Bat Interest Group in Durban which works to conserve bats and give people a proper perspective of these fascinating, misunderstood little animals that play an important role in pollination and in keeping insects under control. (See news of the group on page 24.) My wife, Trish, and I have our own little bat story. We were working in our garden at about ten in the morning one day when we noticed a fruit bat hanging upside down in a bottlebrush tree. It soon became clear that it knew we were there – and we were very close to it - but this didn’t seem to bother it in the least. Far from being ugly, as many people assume, it was a beautiful little creature. It was busy cleaning itself with its little pink tongue, and when it had finished it simply relaxed and continued to ‘hang around’. We watched it throughout the day. It finally took off at dusk.

www.spcadbn.org.za

Chris Matheson General Manager Durban & Coast SPCA

PIGEON POST Potty pothole stories We’re from the UK and we really enjoyed Steve Marais’s photograph in your June 2010 issue of a cow drinking from an enormous water-filled pothole on a main road near Polokwane and a reader’s response in your December 2010 issue quoting an account of how a gardener in the UK thought he would draw his municipality’s attention to potholes by filling them with soil and planting daffodils and other flowers! We thought we’d like to share another true story about our UK potholes. The Daily Mail reported that Bloxwich, West Midlands, residents were delighted when road workers finally arrived to fill in several large potholes, but after the men had left they were astonished to see that three of the potholes had been filled only to the halfway mark. It turned out that the boundary line between Walsall Council land and the local housing association ran right through the middle of these potholes, and the Council said it could not repair potholes on privately-owned land without permission. Had the other half of the potholes been filled in, the Council claimed it could then be held responsible for any subsequent ‘incident’ that took place involving the non-Council side of the potholes. It (mind-bogglingly) further mentioned that the repairs to that point were only a temporary measure. Well, cows might comfortably drink from your potholes, South Africa, but have you yet thought of planting gardens in them or repairing them only to the halfway point? We thought not. Perhaps there should be a competition in our countries to discover what innovative things we could do with pot-holes (apart from fixing them!). Maggie and Wilby Owen (by e-mail)

Beloved companions Dear Shirley I picked up the December 2009 issue of your magazine in my doctor’s waiting-room and asked whether I could take it. Request granted! First of all, I saw the article about Bernie Odgers. I knew him many years ago when our family dealt with the music firm for which he was manager back in the 1970s. It is good to know that he was also dedicated to animal welfare. As for Lucy Farrell, I know her very well as until fairly

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

recently we lived in the same area. In the past, my daughter, Karen, passed on stacks of books which I took to Lucy to be sold for SPCA funds. Now that you’ve moved to Springfield, Karen has ‘saleables’ delivered directly to you, as she works not far from the SPCA. I want to tell you about my precious animals. There was Rip, a registered Jack Russell, and Foxie-5 (my fifth since 1976, all named Foxie, as I am passionate about Fox Terriers). Rip was ‘Daddy’s dog’ and was my late husband’s shadow, but in December 2008, when he was already sixteen, we had to have him put to sleep owing to a serious back problem. He could no longer squat normally and would fall down on his side, do his business, and then get himself onto his feet again. We were devastated when our vet told us there was no help for the little guy, and so he was gently put to sleep on 18 December 2008. We have his ashes in a beautiful little box. Karen, who is one of the SPCA’s firmest supporters decided that her father must have another little dog and got our darling Maltese from the SPCA (Admission 6026/ Adoption no. AD814). This was Lacey. She had been admitted to the SPCA on 5 November. It was at first thought that she had fled owing to fireworks, but neither fireworks nor thunder proved to frighten her in the least. We did find that she was terrified of the hose pipe and was also at first scared of our weekly gardener. She irked Foxie a bit in the beginning and occasionally he would protest by letting out a growl, but they soon became friends. Our dear Foxie had to be put to sleep in August 2009 at the age of 15. I mourned his loss deeply and have his box of ashes with me. Karen wanted to get me another little dog to replace Foxie, but I felt that Lacey fulfilled our needs as we were in our 70s now and felt it better not to take on another dog. My husband passed away in May 2010, and I relocated to Kempton Park, along with Lacey, of course. My grateful thanks to all at the SPCA for the splendid work you’re doing. Best wishes Julie Jansen van Rensburg (by e-mail) Thank you for sharing this with us, Julie. Readers will find Julie’s photographs in our Precious Pets feature. Ed. Visit our website

PIGEON POST

Vervet monkey feeding scheme wins title Here is a cutting from the Daily News of 18 March telling of the initiative of Nicole Bolton of Danville Park Girls’ High School in making vervet monkeys the subject of her project for HIP2B2 for 2010. Nicole not only won the title of 2010 HIP2B2 Brand Ambassador of the Year, but her project resulted in a number of schools becoming concerned about our vervets and starting their own feeding schemes. HIP2B2 is an initiative founded by Mark Shuttleworth in 2002. It aims at stimulating interest in science, maths and technology-related subjects and encouraging an entrepreneurial spirit. Pupils are chosen from across the country as “brand ambassadors” for a year. The top ambassador in each province is then selected, and at the end of each year a winner is selected as the brand ambassador for that year. Concerned about the plight of our vervet monkeys as a consequence of being increasingly deprived of their natural habitat, Nicole approached Primates Africa, a local monkey protection project, to see how she could help. They suggested that she begin a monkey feeding scheme. “We cleared the land”, she told the Daily News, “and planted fruit trees as a food source, monitored the area, and used the data to draft a longterm monkey feeding scheme. The campaign has also impacted positively on both my school and the local community.” Nicole also hosted the Virginia Preparatory School science extravaganza, launched monkey awareness poster campaigns, and contributes to the HIP2B2 website, magazine and Facebook fan page. This year, three Durban teenagers are among the 850 nominated as brand ambassadors for 2011: Mbali Mbunda of Durban Girls’ High School, Vishaal Singh of Maritzburg College, and Kaylin Samlaal of Heather Secondary School. V H Juul (For more information about HIP2B2, go to www.hip2b2. com.) www.spcadbn.org.za

A message from Compassion in World Farming (South Africa) Dear friends On 21 February 2011, the Office of Consumer Protection in Pretoria confirmed that CIWF (SA) qualifies as an organisation to represent the public interest and is therefore invited to lay a complaint before the new Consumer Commissioner, Ms Mamodupi Mohlala, whose office opened officially on 1 April 2011. At last we were in a position to lay a complaint against the ‘unconscionable’ methods of production imposed on animals in factory farms. Our official complaint is that these methods are not only unconscionable, but unethical and improper to a degree that shocks the consciences of reasonable people. At the time of writing, we are preparing a new issue of our magazine, Animal Voice, which will be submitted along with our complaint. We invited people who wanted to be included in Animal Voice as part of our formal action to send us a high resolution closeup photograph of themselves and to tell us, in no more than 30 words, why they were joining CIWF (SA). We offered them a sentence to complete “Factory farming is unconscionable because…”. Reasons could include, for instance, animal welfare, human welfare, environmental issues, food health issues, compassion, and concern at cruel meat production methods that go unchecked and of which the general public are often scarcely aware. CIWF (SA) is part of an international organisation, and you can find out more about us on www.animalvoice.org and www.ciwf.org. We are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/compassion.za. Our motto is “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Tozie Zokufa Compassion in World Farming (SA) Somerset West

Food for thought Dear Editor While reading the Sunday papers this weekend, I was struck by a magazine advertisement/article of a beautiful naked woman with several lances in her back. This startling and poignant image was successful in gaining my sympathy for the plight of the bull in mankind’s preoccupation with blood sports. But, really, is it just me or does this not seem, well… very hypocritical? I am reminded of the millions of animals reared and slaughtered annually for man’s predilection (also unnecessary) for the taste of bloody meat. I wonder whether the beautiful woman in the advert was vegetarian or whether she went on to enjoy a hamburger lunch after the photo shoot! Anthony Cuerden Durban (by e-mail)

PIGEON POST

Loving our animals to the last moment… Today is 16 February, and we had to call in the vet to have our dear Clemmie put to sleep. She had bone cancer, and it was getting worse every day. She is not the first dog we have had to put to sleep (nor probably the last), but this was the most traumatising. I’ve lived in Westville for almost 30 years, and our vet has been outstanding in all aspects of our dogs’ ailments, but this time things did not go well. To my mind he should have given Clemmie a sedative to make her a bit sleepy (I won’t make this mistake again). As though she knew, she fought strongly against anyone touching her, even me. We had to put a muzzle on her, and even then she fought. All of this took a deeply distressing half an hour. Apart from our anxiety for Clemmie, my main concern was for my wife, Claire, who witnessed the whole ordeal and was terribly upset by it. I know that this kind of ordeal does not usually happen, but precautions need to be taken so that the end of a loved creature’s life is made easy and peaceful. Which of us would not hope that someone would help us peacefully out of pain should this become necessary? I totally believe in euthanasia for animals and humans when all quality of life has gone. There is a time to let go. We have loved all our dogs and hope to open our hearts to more and give them a few more years to make their lives happy, if only for a while. We dearly hope that more and more people will also open their hearts to dogs from shelters. Our motto is: “Don’t buy from pet shops and dealers, while shelter dogs die.” We hear more and more about compassion. Let’s live it. Andy B (by e-mail) I had a similar experience with my beloved Boerboel, Cadie, who had a recurring melanoma in the mouth at almost ten years old. After three operations, no more could be done for her. My own vet was away, and I asked a vet of very good reputation to come to my home to put Cadie to sleep. A similar thing happened to what you describe. The vet preferred injecting into a front leg as considered veins to be more available there. Cadie was still a strong dog despite her terrible cancer and somehow she just knew what was happening. She took off and rushed round the verandah and had to be restrained while struggling violently. It was heartbreaking and devastating to have to help and watch. I always hold my dogs in my arms and tell them how much I love them, and here I was having to help hold my dog down forcibly. Other pets I have held and loved while they have been euthanased have always had the injection in a back leg and have remained calm and quiet. I really do believe that this method is best. And if one can hold one’s pet lovingly in their last moments, this is really important. Ed.

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

A delightful letter appeared in the Berea Mail in December. We have pleasure in sharing it here:

Laughing doves on my balcony I would like to share this story as I found it an amazing experience. I discovered a pair of laughing doves (Streptopelia senegalensis) mating in a pot plant that is mounted to the wall on my balcony. A few days later, one of them was sitting on a nest in the same pot plant and left only to feed. I didn’t climb up to get a better view as I didn’t want to disturb the birds. Three weeks later, I saw the chicks for the first time, and not long after this they were big enough to fly down onto the balcony and feed with their parents. They left the nest about a week after I had first seen them. It made me sad to see them go. However, the sadness did not last long as the female returned around 20 September, and this time a nest was built in a pot plant on the corner of the lounge window sill. She laid her first egg on 23 September, and the second on 24 September. We watched every day to see how things were going and eagerly waited for the chicks to hatch. The male and female took turns incubating the eggs, and I supplied the doves with wild birdseed and fresh water. They became so trusting that I could go onto the balcony and, better still, could look at them closely through the lounge window, and they would not fly away. The eggs hatched on 7 October, and I watched the chicks closely and was amazed at how quickly they grew. The parents did not at all mind my watching them feeding their young. I noticed on 18 October that the parents would leave them alone at night, but would watch from a nearby tree, and still came to feed them every day. They left the nest on 22 October, but at the time of writing in December still come to feed and drink on the balcony. I took many photos from the egg stage until they left the nest. It was an incredible experience to be able to observe the doves so closely, as I had prior to this had a nervous breakdown and found this a very peaceful and restorative experience. Chris Glenwood

Do you know about SA MAST? If we are going to fight over-breeding of cats and dogs and reduce the suffering of unwanted animals, we have to do it together as no organisation can do it alone. SA MAST is the South African Mass Animal Sterilisation Trust and is now linked to the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet fund-raising organisation. It costs you nothing at all to have a card, and every time you make a purchase Visit our website

PIGEON POST

at certain stores, they make a donation to a charitable organisation of your choice, or you can split your choice between a couple of recipient organisations. I’d like to tell you something of what SA MAST does: It works in Khayalitsha and goes into areas where there is no transport for people, indeed no roads and therefore no road signs. It offers a free “identify, collect, sterilise, treat and return” service for as many dogs and cats as possible within its resources. It presently costs R350 to pick up, sterilise, treat and return animals to owners. It is presently doing some 120 sterilisations per month, but has the physical capacity to undertake 250 per month if it had the financial resources, which it now hopes to get via being able to join the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet fund-raising organisation. The free services it offers include vaccination, deworming and flea and tick treatment. It dispenses a large quantity of free pet care products and in just over a year gave 50 free kennels to needy owners, free dippings to 1750 additional animals at their homes or at MAST’s clinic, dewormed 312 dogs and cats, saw 1169 pets for primary medical treatments on a collect and return basis, and visited 738 homes to educate and assist the owners with animal problems. Emergency treatment is given free of charge. Go to www.samast.co.za to find out more… but in any event take out a MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card which will cost you nothing and will greatly help the organisations you choose to support. Louise Bennett Durban

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The Bear Group SA Trust Dear Shirley I am enclosing the Newsletter of the Bear Group SA Trust. Perhaps you might like to include some of the information in your next issue. The Bear Group SA Trust supports groups that are working ‘hands on’ to rescue abused and tortured bears. Best wishes Anne Hemmings The Bear Group SA Trust is a small, courageous nonprofit organisation that raises funds to support bear rescue programmes around the world. Most of the funds go towards Animal Asia’s struggle to stop cruel bear bile farms and to the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ attempts to eradicate bear-baiting in Pakistan. The Trust was founded by Ms Sam Esra, who was devastated at seeing grisly footage of bear baiting in Pakistan in 1997. Working with a dedicated committee, she has been instrumental in helping bears around the world. For further information, look at www. thebeargroupsa.org.sa

CANINE WORLD-TRAVELLER OSCAR SUPPORTS OUR SPCA ADOPTION PROGRAMME AT THE ECR HOUSE & GARDEN SHOW We were thrilled to partner with famous pooch, Oscar, and his amazing owner, Joanne Lefson, at this year’s East Coast Radio House and Garden Show. Our theme, in keeping with Oscar’s role as global ambassador for shelter dogs, was “Give a Dog a Home”

We extend a heartfelt thank you to the show organisers, H & G Exhibition, for sponsoring our stall and for wholeheartedly embracing our theme and incorporating it into the publicity for the show. This included regular advertisements on East Coast Radio with Oscar being given a ‘voice’ by popular comedian Aaron McIlroy. The ads created quite a stir, and the Durban public were chomping at the bit to meet little Oscar, our living, breathing (or should I say panting) show mascot! We are over the moon as we managed to raise a record-breaking R62 700 at our stall. The public gave generously, and we thank all who visited our stand to make a contribution. The stall was manned entirely by our volunteers who did us proud by giving of their best in encouraging donations and promoting dog adoption. More exciting news is that Clive Shedlock, Director of House & Garden Exhibition (Pty) Ltd, committed

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

to topping up our income to an incredible R100 000. This means that the show organisers are generously donating an additional R37 300 to our Adoption Programme. This is so encouraging, and we thank Clive and his team for their exceptional support. It is supporters like these who are the foundation – and at the heart – of the SPCA’s work for animals. Our sincere thanks go to the following sponsors: * Hi-Fi Corporation for generously sponsoring and installing our audio visual equipment. This allowed us to have a rolling presentation throughout the show, highlighting each of the dogs available for adoption at our SPCA. * Bay Union Insurance Brokers for insuring this equipment at no charge. * Dulux paints for sponsoring the paint for our stall. * Secure a Stand for sponsoring the security gate for the stall.

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* Marltons Pet Products for sponsoring four hampers as lucky draw prizes. Last and most certainly not least - thank you Oscar and Joanne for travelling to Durban to support our efforts at the ECR House & Garden Show. Together we have managed to raise the profile of dog adoption to a whole new level. We deeply appreciate this partnership and applaud your commitment to the plight of shelter dogs. We look forward to welcoming Joanne and Oscar back to Durban in April next year for the South African leg of the 2012 World Woof Tour. This tour promises to be a unique and exciting promotion of dog adoption and includes â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oscar Maximusâ&#x20AC;?, a giant hot air balloon shaped like a dog, which will be tethered in each of the major towns and cities in the country. Watch this space!

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In partnership with the Durban & Coast SPCA

More Durban & Coast SPCA News CAROLINE SMITH Second Riotfest Gig

The second Riotfest gig in aid of our SPCA will take place on Saturday, 3 September, at Burn nightclub. Pictured here with his beloved pet, Sammy, is Robin Topping, drummer from the band "Conclave". The first RiotFest drew 450 supporters and raised R6950 for us. This time the organisers are aiming to go even bigger. Eight bands across a range of genres will take part. All proceeds will go to the Durban & Coast SPCA.

School makes great food donation to our Dolphin Coast SPCA

Entrance is a R30 donation. Participating bands are: Conclave Asleep in Transit Danti Daxi Obscure Explosion Lowprofile Marry Me, Juliet We Were Archers Contrast The Water

Two bakkie loads of food. This magnificent donation comes from Darnall Primary School. Thank you, Darnall, for this splendid effort. The children have a competition every year. Each standard tries to collect as much pets’ food as possible. The class that collects the greatest number of kilograms of pet food gets to go to Spur for a “kiddie burger”. Not only do our SPCA animals benefit greatly, but competitions like this help to spread awareness of the plight of abandoned and lost pets.

New Marketing Department appointment

Lauren McCallum has joined our Marketing Department as Marketing Administrator. Here she is with a little Chatsworth stray which we have named Chester.

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

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PRECIOUS PETS

“Thank you, Durban & Coast SPCA, for our two bundles of joy, Nos and Danger. They are gorgeous (and naughty!), and we adore them. They were adopted in March this year, and I am writing this on 19 May. They are growing rapidly, and we thought you would like to see their progress.” Lara Smallman Julie van Rensburg sent us this photograph of her late husband with their beloved Maltese, Lacey

Rip and Foxie are in typical stance watching Julie’s husband work in their vegetable garden, which has netting to protect it from the depredations of visiting vervets!

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BULL TERRIER PUP RESCUE When tiny six-week-old bull terrier pup, Snowy, fell down an open manhole in Phoenix into a labyrinth of underground pipes, a protracted and extremely difficult communal rescue endeavour persevered until she was rescued - dehydrated, exhausted and badly traumatised, but otherwise unharmed. A deep trench, 15m long and 5m wide, had to be dug. The Durban & Coast SPCA and Snowyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relieved and grateful owners thank the SAPS Search and Rescue, the National Sea Rescue Institute, the City Engineers Department, Khamla Bhoy Civils, Camjet, Amro Ayethu and all individuals who volunteered manpower to help save this tiny animal from a terrible fate.

Digging proceeds as everyone is desperate to rescue the tiny bull terrier pup.

Night has falleen, but the rescuers work on. The atmosphere is tense.

She was eventually rescued at half-past four in the morning after a 36-hour operation. She was kept in the SPCA clinic to recover before being given to her anxious owners.

Deeper and deeper. Tension grows . . . will they find the little pup in time?

Acknowledgement The Daily News.

Senior Inspector Dougie du Plessis is anxious. Time is passing.

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

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Acknowledgement The Daily News.

Dougie lifts up tiny Snowy, who is dehydrated, exhausted and traumatised, but will survive.

In safe hands.

Every picture tells a story, and this story has a happy ending. Here is Snowy - plump and pretty and none the worse for her near-tragic adventure - with the Perlasmamy children, Letrelle (2) and Lizelle (6). The Perlasamys were distraught when their bull terrier pup, only a few weeks old, fell down an open drain into the complex storm drainage system. After the pup had been trapped in the depths of the deep, labyrinthine system for a considerable period, the Durban & Coast SPCA heard of the accident on radio, and a rescue mission which drew on many teams of helpers and of concerned individuals began. Little Snowy was finally brought to the surface. Mrs Desireee Perlasamy said the family was deeply grateful for the extraordinary concern shown. The courage and energy shown by the rescuers, she said, was â&#x20AC;&#x153;unbelievableâ&#x20AC;?. www.spcadbn.org.za

Acknowledgement to the Daily News for this photograph.

GIN TRAPS CAUSE TERRIBLE SUFFERING AND USUALLY A SLOW DEATH,

But for this brave amputee there was a happy ending This gives some idea of the vicious traps being used to snare animals. Many animals die slow, painful deaths.

Cruelly snared and helpless to move.

The dog’s leg is very badly injured, but he seems to know he is in safe hands.

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

Safe at last with SPCA’s Fortune Ngema. So trusting and brave.

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Clinic Supervisor, Pam, attends to Wobblyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leg.

The patient has lost a leg and is a bit wobbly, so Wobbly became his name. He is a bit bewildered, but will soon adapt as animals are both accepting and courageous.

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Our gin trap dog has a happy ending despite his mutilation. He had been in the trap for too long for his leg to be saved. The wound became necrotic, and the leg had to be amputated. Our veterinary nurse, Talia Henderson, fell in love with this brave dog during his stay in our clinic and adopted him. So Wobblyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s days of roaming where there are vicious gin traps are over, and he has a loving owner.

SPCA YARD CATS

Durban and Coast SPCA Yard Cats What? You never thought a cat could write letters? Oh, ye purrson of little feline faith... I'm Archie - the newest 'yard cat' here at the Durban SPCA. That means I get to spend the rest of my life lazing around the gardens, offices and shop here at the SPCA. And looking after the visitors who pop in for a cuppa and cake at the coffee shop. It also means I'm looking for someone like you to sponsor the cost of my care. Before you ask - no, I'm not on Furbook. I prefer purrsonal introductions, like this: I'm a redhead who likes to sleep in the General Manager’s chair. (Some say I knead and suckle my blanket, but that's all vicious lies.) The truth is, I only knead your support. You see, I was up for adoption here but nobody had the good sense to take me home. Bet they're sorry ... because that was the offer of a lifetime - a lifetime of absolute Archie lovin'! But, as I say to the purrsons who want to take me home now that I'm taken: fear not; there's plenty of

this puddy to go round ... just fill in the sponsorship form on page 30. Or visit the SPCA website to check out the other cool cats who are up for sponsorship or adoption. Show your dediCATion today. Remember, the ancient Egyptians worshipped us fabulous felines ... but you don't have to go that far; I'm a lot closer than the pyramids. Meow for now,

Archie

New kit on the block PS If you're an eduCATed animal lover, perhaps you can tell me why purrsons call that computer thing a mouse? If it's supposed to be a generic, someone goofed up.

Archie and Gilbert join our Yard Cats

Archie was one of the few strays found to be wearing a microchip, but the owners’ details were out of date and they could not be traced. Archie is named after the ginger-haired comic book character. He is a handsome and affectionate animal. Most mornings he can be found lying on the paperwork on the General Manager’s desk before scooting off in search of another comfortable dozing spot.

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

Gilbert was handed in as a stray and never claimed, nor did anyone offer to adopt him, and now his rescuer is one of his monthly sponsors. He is very tenacious when seeking either attention or food and goads the closest human with head butts until his wishes are fulfilled!

See page 30 for Yard Cats Sponsorship Form Visit our website

MEAT FREE MONDAYS Officially Launches in SA Go vegetarian for 24 hours every week – it is the “The world is currently raising over 50 billion farmed easiest way for every South African to make a difference animals for slaughter each year and, in addition to its to the planet. major impact on global warming, this is contributing On 13 September 2010, South Africa saw the official significantly to the destruction of tropical rainforests launch of the global Meat Free Monday’s campaign, and other valuable habitats. Because of its high degree which urges all South Africans to pledge their support of inefficiency compared to plant protein production, and make a difference by not eating meat, fish or animal agriculture is disproportionately depleting the chicken every Monday. planet’s dwindling reserves of fresh water, land, fuel, and Meat Free Monday is an environmental campaign to other resources,” says Tammy Fry, Marketing Director raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat of Fry’s Vegetarian Foods, an internationally successful production and consumption. Many people are unaware company based in Durban that produces vegetarian about the detrimental impact that meat production has high protein meat alternatives. “This initiative is not on the planet. Livestock farming is the most significant just for vegetarians, it is for people who care about the health of the planet, who are contributor to today’s most serious willing to experiment with flavours and environmental problems. Animal and discover that they can agriculture contributes significantly Nothing will benefit vegetables create exciting delicious meals without to the destruction of tropical human health and always relying on meat, fish or chicken” rainforests, soil erosion, dwindling she says. reserves of fresh water, land, fuel increase chances and other resources. Go to www.supportmfm.co.za to for survival of life Statistics around the effect that pledge your support or sms the letters on Earth as much as livestock production has on the MFM and your name and email address planet are staggering: to 34007. Sms charged at R2 per SMS. the evolution to a At least half of all the greenhouse All those who pledge their support vegetarian diet. gases are due to livestock production. for Meat Free Monday’s will receive a Albert Einstein If all Americans ate no meat, personalized pledge certificate and will stand a chance of winning a seven chicken or fish for just one day a week, this would result in the same carbon savings night stay for two at the five star, Big 5 Nambiti Plains Eco as taking 19.2 million cars off the road in the USA for Lodge in KwaZulu-Natal. Also available to purchase on the site, with all an entire year, or save gas emissions equivalent to 46 proceeds going to charity, are a vegetarian and vegan million return flights from New York to Los Angeles. It requires 500 times as much land to produce 1kg of recipe book, Meat Free Monday recycled shopping bags and Meat Free Monday supporter wrist bands. beef as it does to produce 1kg vegetables It takes 250 litres of water to produce 1kg wheat, and All items cost R25 excluding VAT but include delivery in South Africa. 25 000 litres of water to produce 1kg meat All individuals, celebrities, schools and corporates are Cows, pigs and sheep bred for human consumption urged to play their part in supporting this initiative. discharge millions of tons of methane, a more potent References: greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Livestock accounts • Climate Change and Livestock Farming for about 18 percent of greenhouse gases, more than – Beauty Without Cruelty. http://www. all the world’s transportation systems including cars bwcsa.co.za/files/Climate%20Change%20 Giving up meat one day a week will not only greatly &%20Livestock%20Farming.pdf benefit the planet, but also animals, and our own health. If every South African goes meat free one day a week, • Carbon Consumption that could be 11 200 cattle, 2 million chickens, 10 000 pigs and 22 300 achieved in the USA through a reduction in sheep will be saved from slaughter weekly. Furthermore, meat consumption. http://www.meatthetruth.nl/ eating less meat will decrease the likelihood of heart download/20080518_US_carbon_savings_table.pdf attacks and high blood pressure. • Compassion in World Farming.

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FEATURE

The libido trade The era of the airborne poachers Shirley Bell The apprehension of at least some of our ruthless rhino poachers has done little more than remove a few of the greedy (and often extremely well-to-do) people who prey on precious wildlife. In the case of the rhino poachers arrested last October, their operation was sophisticated and expensive, and it was sickening to hear that two of the criminals were actually veterinarians who had been highly respected in the community. Also in October 2010, Jauhara Khan reported in The Mercury that a hippo ‘butchery’ had been discovered in Zululand, along with an arsenal of cable snares and hooks, revealing one of the worst cases of hippo poaching yet in KwaZulu-Natal. Colonel Jay Naicker said that the police had found the grisly evidence in a house in the Muzi Pans area outside the iSimangaliso Wetland in northern KwaZulu-Natal. According to the report, the house had been taken over by criminals after the legal owners had died. Poachers were using it as a butchery and store. The police found 32 strips of hippo fat hanging over a plastic tub. There were also four hippo snares made from steel cable, a crocodile snare with four heavy steel hooks, fifteen cable snares, and 36 strips of hippo skin. Dried hippo skin is used to make sjamboks. Outside the house, the police found a hippo foetus that had been gutted and left to dry. Hippo meat was found hanging from nearby trees. One man, Bhekizizwe Zikhali, was arrested in the vicinity of the house on charges of illegal hunting, being in possession of illegal animal products, and having an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. He led the police to his own house 400m away, where a hippo foot and five hippo skulls were found, along with a .303 rifle and ammunition. He later appeared in the Mbazwane Magistrate’s Court. Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of the iSmangaliso Wetlands Park, said that 25 hippo lived in the Muzi Pans area outside the park. This made them vulnerable to poaching, and they were probably the main sources of the poacher’s stock.

So powerful… yet so helpless

Rhinos have been very much in the news lately, and

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

mainly for tragic reasons. It would be even more tragic were these magnificent creatures to disappear from our reserves and other protected areas owing to the greed and depredations of poachers and the superstitions of purchasers of rhino horn who believe the ground horn enhances libido. Over twenty-five million years ago, a huge creature known to science as the Baluchiterium walked the earth. It was probably the largest land mammal ever to have walked the earth, although there now seems to be some debate as to whether all the dinosaurs were in fact cold-blooded creatures. Baluchiterium was about 5.5 metres high and almost 11 metres in length. The inexorable processes of evolution consigned him to oblivion, but today his smaller descendants, the rhinoceroses, still roam in a few protected areas of the earth. Five species of rhino continue to exist today, two in Africa and three in Asia. Twenty-six species of rhino are known to have already become extinct. Our KwaZulu-Natal reserves of Hluhluwe and Umfolozi are regarded as being among the best rhino country in the world, and many are the stories told over the years about these great tanklike creatures. In 1966, I myself wrote a story about them for Field and Tide. I was just starting out as a writer. During December, 1965, tourists visiting Hluhluwe witnessed a dramatic incident believed never before to have been recorded by a naturalist: a clash between a black and a white rhinoceros. The tour was conducted by the well-known ranger, Jim Feely, who had just left what was then the Natal Parks Board. Spellbound, the watchers saw these two ponderous adversaries lunging away at each other, while constantly endeavouring to sidestep and rip home a telling attack. Much less interested was another white rhino which continued to graze peacefully nearby, not in the least distracted by the battle a few metres away. The tourists had to leave for the air strip for their flight back to Durban, so the outcome was never known, but no evidence of any dire consequences was ever found. Black rhino are likely to be aggressive, while the white rhino is usually a peaceable creature. Although black

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rhino are fairly easily provoked, it is recorded that they seldom repeat an attack if the first run carries the animal past its intended victim. It tends to carry on with its run and disappear into the bush. Among my notes is the account of a ranger who fled from an unprovoked attack by a black rhino and sprang up into a rather spiny tree which offered at least some protection, if rather on the minimal side. When he looked back, expecting impact against the tree at any moment, the rhino was standing a dozen metres away, having lost all interest and actually seeming to be asleep! The ranger climbed down, keeping an eagle eye on the rhino, and ruefully surveyed the damage done to his hands and knees by the thorns. I do have a cutting, though, reporting a case where a rhino had repeatedly attacked his victim, a man cycling along a footpath in East Africa. He was repeatedly gored, even after he had died of his injuries. From Ian Player and Jim Feely came the observations that “when in a hurry, the usual gait of the rhino is an extraordinarily rapid and graceful trot, timed from a vehicle at 18 miles per hour. They will also canter and gallop for short distances at 25 miles per hour”. The white rhino probably got its name from the description of early Dutch-speaking hunter-farmers who called it ‘wyd mond’. Both rhinos are grey, and the white is the larger of the two. The white is a grazer, being square-lipped rather like a cow, while the black is a browser. Its prehensile lip works rather like a vacuumcleaner. The horn of the rhino does not grow out of the skull, but from the scalp. This facilitates its removal by poachers. It is ironic that the very weapon that should have been its safeguard is now putting the rhino in danger of extinction. The so-called horn is actually an agglutinated mass of hairs that falls apart if left too long in water or mud, yet nothing will persuade those superstitious Easterners who pay large sums for small quantities of rhino horn that it does not possess magical aphrodisiac and healing powers. Although some modern poachers now use powerful weapons and even helicopters, some rhinos continue to be caught in snares, which are immensely cruel, as poachers using snares are not interested in the meat but only in the horn and visit the snares irregularly. Rangers and game guards have come across animals that have suffered cruelly for up to two weeks, eating all the vegetation within reach and then slowly starving to death, enduring agony from gangrenous wounds. A Zimbabwean friend had an unexpected experience when following rhino with an experienced game guard. When they encroached a bit too closely on a black rhino, the animal appeared restive and to be taking too much interest in them. There was a stout and relatively unthorny tree nearby, so the two men climbed up out of reach. The rhino ambled up to the tree and began to rub himself against it with evident enjoyment. “Higher, Nkosi, higher,” the guard urged. www.spcadbn.org.za

“No, no,” said our friend, “I want to touch his back. Look, he isn’t worrying about us at all. He seems almost friendly.” Despite further urgings from the guard, he kept to his perch just out of reach of the rhino. The next minute he was enveloped in a hot steam of odiferous spray as the rhino urinated. Two disasters were narrowly averted. He almost fell onto the rhino’s back from sheer shock… and the guide almost toppled from his perch higher up the tree because he was laughing so much. When walking on a trail, one can’t help noticing that most of the trees are sporting vicious-looking thorns. Captain H B Potter, who was appointed Game Conservator of Hluhluwe in 1929, is credited with the comforting observation that that you won’t even feel the thorns if a rhino’s on your tail! At least not until afterwards…

Pup rescued from hot car

This little pup, now called Coco, was rescued from a hot car at the Suncoast Casino. The owner was charged and signed the dog over to us. She was adopted by Deon and Chantal Govender. People often do not realise that it is potentially lethal to leave a child or an animal alone in a car, as the temperature inside the car quickly rises far beyond the outside temperature, even if windows are left slightly open. If you see a child or animal locked in a car, please immediately notify the SPCA. If the animal or child is already showing signs of distress, seek help immediately. Delay could be fatal.

Bradley and Chelsea win SPCA/MyPlanet Me & MyPet Photo Competition 1st

Our winners, Bradley Beissner with his dog, Chelsea Coffee Cats was a buzz of excitement on Thursday 23 June as finalists of the SPCA/MyPlanet Me & MyPet Photo Competition gathered for the prizegiving. Ten finalists were chosen according to the number of votes they attracted online over the ten weeks during which the competition had run. Caroline Smith, our Head of Marketing, said the entries received were of a really high standard, making it a tough decision for the panel of judges to arrive at the overall winner: “We were not looking for the most technically perfect photo, but rather the one that best showed the special bond between the child and his or her pet.” The photo of five-year-old Bradley Beissner having fun at the beach with his dog Chelsea won first prize - a framed certificate and a R1000 Woolworths gift card. Ren and her cat Stoney were the first runners-up and received a R500 Woolworths gift card. Rebecca and Honey were the second runners-up and received a R250 Woolworths gift card. All ten finalists received uShaka Marine World tickets and goody bags. “We plan to make the competition an annual event,“ Caroline said, “and hope to attract even more entries next year with even more people voting for their favourite.”

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

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2nd

3rd

Ren Stewart and her kitten, Stoney, were the first runners-up

MySchool Community Coordinator, Simone Masson, with Korbin Monson

Second runners-up: Rebecca van Rensburg with Honey

Arya Shukla with pet Molly Tejal Bhoola with pet Jess

The Finalists Brooklyn Chislett with her chicken Spike

Cristina Palazzo with pet Daisy

Arya with pet Holly

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Kyle with pet Alfie

Korbin Monson with pet Lucy

Stories from around the World We have adapted interesting, unusual, and sometimes humorous and delightful, snippets from various sources to share with our readers.

No point in donating your snails to your neighbours!

A study conducted by Ruth Brooks of Totnes in Devon has shown that snails have a homing instinct - so people who furtively throw their garden snails over the fence into their neighbours’ gardens are wasting their time. The snails will simply make their slow way back home. If you want to prevent their doing this, they would have to be transported at least a hundred metres away. Ruth Brooks found that no matter how many snails she removed from her garden, their number never seemed to diminish, so she hit upon the novel idea of marking each shell with a daub of nail varnish before transporting the snails various distances away from the plants they had been devouring and then noting their subsequent movements. It took them a while, but the snails returned unerringly to the places from which she had removed them. Dr Dave Hodgson of Exeter University told BBC News Online that Ruth Brooks’s findings were amazing, since snails had generally been considered “too simple to have a homing instinct”. More evidence about how

little we know about other creatures and how much we underestimate their capabilities. Ruth Brooks was subsequently named the UK’s best amateur scientist in a Radio 4 competition.

Baby bat rescues in Oz

Many people have expressed concern about the huge loss of small wildlife in Australia owing to the floods. Five baby bats had a narrow escape. They were among 130 little creatures rescued when storms hit the Gold Coast, which was less badly hit than many other parts of Queensland. Trish Wimberley and her colleagues at the Australian Bat Clinic and Wildlife Trauma Centre set about picking up baby bats at wellknown bat roosts. The five baby bats were found on the ground covered in maggots and fly eggs. They had come down to the ground to feed, and this made them vulnerable. “Bats,” said Trish, “are a barometer regarding what is going on in the environment. They’re our version of canaries down a coal mine.” Rescued baby bats are bottle fed and kept either hanging down on clothes lines or in special intensive care units until they are ready to fly away. The rescue period is usually about four weeks. Note: The Bat Interest Group of KZN (Bats KZN) started in 1994 and is the oldest bat group in southern Africa. It is run entirely by volunteers and funded by subscriptions and donations from members of the public. Bats KZN aims to conserve the bats of KZN through education and research. Active ‘bat workers’ undertake 200-300 activities every year, including talks to schools and other interest groups, advising home owners on how to deal with bats on their properties, and dealing with injured bats. New members are always welcome. E-mail: info@batskzn.co.za.

Pig-in-boots

Many are under the impression that pigs actually prefer wallowing in mud and dirt to having a cleaner environment. Actually, they don’t. They like a clean environment with clean straw to sleep on at night. They will roll in mud – as some wild animals also do – in order to protect their skins from the sun and from insects. However, they are often confined in small muddy

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

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sties which collect faeces and urine that give rise to the ‘piggy’ odour associated with unkempt pig sties. Cinders, a baby piglet on an award-winning farm in Thirsk, North Yorkshire in the UK, has gone a step further as far as mud is concerned and appears to be suffering from mysophobia, a fear of dirt. She was born in 2008 and was reluctant to join her siblings when they played in sand and mud. She just hated getting her feet dirty and kept to the grassy clean areas. Owner Andrew Keeble said that his daughter, Ellie, 12, had the bright idea of providing Cinders with two pairs of tiny Wellington boots. The little green Wellies – which had been used as pen and pencil holders - fitted her like a pair of gloves. She immediately took off and trotted around in them. Soon she was coming to have them put on her every morning. The family named her Cinders after Cinderella because of her ‘magic’ slippers. The Keebles run a sausage company and keep about 200 pigs on their 1000-acre farm. Cinders’s phobia has saved her life because she is now a family pet and will “live a very long and happy life”, her owners say. The young saddleback pig was chosen by the Keebles as a mascot for their campaign to raise money for the Farm Crisis Network which supports struggling farmers.

and his team members reversed the order of the sticks and put the smallest first, the male bowerbirds would have none of it and set about restoring the old order with the tallest sticks first, descending to the smallest nearest the bower.

Tiger panic at wedding

A bower bird’s elaborate bower

When Russell Brand and Katy Perry planned an Indian jungle wedding, they did not expect to spend their first night as man and wife surrounded by armed guards who were protecting them from a marauding maneating tiger. The large male tiger, which has killed three people over the past couple of years, leapt over two walls at the wedding venue during the wedding celebrations. It was chased back by guards when trying to jump a third wall just 16m from the bridal couple and their 85 guests. It was 11 p.m. The wedding was taking place in the £600 per night Ranthambore National Park, one of the most famous tiger reserves in the world. One of the guards said, “Someone started yelling ‘Tiger… tiger… tiger’, and we all rushed out and started hitting it with batons and shining torches at it. It got scared and ran off.” A rather David and Goliath-type situation.

Building bowers for brides

The male bower bird is a busy man. He spends about three-quarters of his time collecting sticks, pebbles, berries, flowers and brightly-coloured objects like bottle tops in order to create a pretty bower with which he hopes to attract a mate. Naturalists report that the male great bowerbird (Chlamydera nuchalis) goes a step further by building an ‘avenue’ of sticks leading to his bower. The gradient of the sticks is very important, it seems, as when John Endler, leader of a Deakin University study in Australia, www.spcadbn.org.za

(Adapted from “What the scientists are saying”, The Week)

Snake’s alive!

A three-metre carpet python had a narrow escape when a driver rescued it from the engine of his car in Currumbim Valley on Australia’s Gold Coast. It was taken to Currumbim Wildlife Hospital suffering from third-degree burns from having wrapped itself around the Landcruiser’s engine for too long. The owner actually smelt a burning smell before pulling over and discovering the snake. Vet Michael Pyne said this was the largest snake the hospital had received. Burns, he said, only start to appear in reptiles over time. The snake, now named Blaze, received antibiotics and strong pain relief medication. She would have to spend at least a couple of months in hospital before being released.

The owl and the pussy cats

When a baby owl fell out of its nest and landed under the nose of a lioness in her wooded enclosure in Paignton Zoo, Devon, onlookers waited for the big cat to swat it without delay. Instead, Indu, the 180kg lioness, stared at the little intruder for a few seconds, and then took no further notice of it. A photograph in the British news magazine, The Week, shows the little owl sitting a couple of inches from the lioness’s front paws in the leafy enclosure. Neither Indu nor her mate, Mwamba, paid any attention to the little owl. Since the owl remained in close proximity to the lions, the staff were unable to enter the enclosure to effect a rescue. The little creature spent three days living with the Asiatic lions until,

to everyone’s relief, it managed to take off and fly to safety. The lions had ignored its presence throughout its unintended visit.

hundreds of parrots from sixteen Australian species, and all but one species – the cockatiel – proved to be decidedly monodextrous, with the majority favouring their left eye and left foot.

Teenager arrested for hamster murder

Joseph Pentangelo of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported that charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and child endangerment had been laid against a nineteen-year-old New Yorker who had deliberately killed her nine-year-old brother’s hamster during a quarrel. She was arrested on a felony charge. If convicted, she could face up to two years in prison. She was accused of choking the hamster and throwing it to the floor before flinging it across the street. A necropsy concluded that the hamster had been choked to death before being tossed across the street. It is considered serious that three children were onlookers.

(Adapted from a Sapa report in IOL.)

Five centuries of slaughter

Writing in The Independent, Michael McCarthy says that “a melancholy truth” hit him when he stood in the Loiusiana marshes and saw clouds of herons, egrets and birds of prey taking to the skies. The melancholy truth that hit him was that Britain’s wildlife is among the poorest in the world. This came as quite a shock, since Britain seems to have great concern for its wildlife, but it certainly wasn’t always so. St James’s Park in London, says McCarthy, has recorded some 65 bird species; Central Park in New York has 250. And it’s the same story with wild animals. The reason is to be found in the centuries from Henry VIII to the First World War, from the vermin laws of the Tudor age to gamekeepers killing ‘predators’ on aristocratic shooting estates. “Systematic killing on a scale unthinkable today” was conducted against badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, otters, green woodpeckers, kingfishers and bullfinches... and wildlife populations were further depleted by the intensive farming methods that began about forty years ago: “half the birds in the fields of England have disappeared since the Beatles broke up”, McCarthy says. Wildlife is now generally prized in Britain (recent proposals to remove the prohibition on the killing of badgers having met with widespread public disapproval), but wildlife populations should have been a great deal larger than what they are today had attitudes towards them been different. Much the same applies to our own country when it comes to wildlife near cities, towns and villages.

Lefthandedness of parrots

The Daily Telegraph reports that a team of Australian scientists has found that parrots display ‘handedness’, preferring to use one side of their bodies rather than the other. Human beings have a dominant eye, ear, hand and foot, and now it has been found that parrots tend to have a dominant eye and to favour one of their feet for picking things up. The researchers observed

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

FIREWORKS: Warning about Sky Lanterns

The National Council of SPCAs undertook research into sky lanterns as an alternative to fireworks. Their conclusion is that the NSPCA would not recommend or endorse these devices owing to the dangers. The primary concern is that the fuel cells burn with an open flame which keeps the lantern afloat for several minutes. Technically, the device should fall to the ground only when the flame is out, but if a lantern is caught on a tree or building there is a significant fire hazard. The paper that makes up the outer part of the lantern is flammable; and if the lantern is out of balance, the entire lantern can catch light. As they use an open flame, sky lanterns are not permitted to be used at specified times in certain parts of our country such as Guy Fawkes Day (5 November, and no longer officially celebrated in our country) which falls within the fire season in the Western Cape. Sky lanterns have been banned in Vietnam, Australia, Austria, parts of China, Thailand and Germany. Serious concerns have been expressed over the impact of sky lanterns on aviation safety. The UK Coast Guard has expressed concern over how they can mimic distress flares, and farmers and welfare groups around the world have expressed opposition owing to the wire structures and the potential for ingestion and other injury by animals. The full statement on Sky Lanterns can be accessed on www.nspca.co.za. Visit our website

Jean Cronwright talks to Shirley Bell about the crucial role of the companion pet living with an elderly person… and making all the difference between love and loneliness.

Modify the harsh “no pets allowed” ruling! Jean Cronwright has a passion: the founding of a society called Care Dogs Allowed. The companion pet is far more than just a pet, she points out. He (or she) is a working dog and needs to be defined as such and accepted in much the same way as dogs for the disabled and guide dogs for the blind. He is on duty 24 hours a day as “companion, loving friend, entertainer, listener, provider of fun and cuddle-up comforter”. We urgently need a society or association to be formed on behalf of the elderly who have no voice when it comes to the harsh and much dreaded “no pets allowed” ruling found in apartment blocks and in facilities for the elderly, forcing them to dispose of their beloved animals just when they need them the most. People who move to accommodation for the elderly often do not do so from choice, but because family and friends have relocated or have died or because they can no longer look after a home on their own. When they are faced with a sudden change of environment – and one in which they are likely to be lonely a good bit of the time – the constant presence of a pet makes all the difference in the world. Instead, to loneliness is added grief at the loss of a loved animal. Managements take the pet ban for granted with no thoughts of negotiation or of social worker intervention on the person’s behalf, yet the ban is cruel and unnecessary. People who are not pet lovers or who want to run an organisation with the least disruption find it difficult even to consider the presence of pets and point to the disturbances that they foresee… and the often noisy grumbles from non-pet lovers. But a much more humane attitude is needed. Fellow occupants do indeed need to be considered regarding possible noise and issues of hygiene, but these are not insuperable problems by any means. In the UK, a dog can go through a training programme in some areas and be “certificated” as suitable to live in a communal environment; and in densely populated high-rise buildings in American cities one finds dogs, including large breeds, happily living in their owners’ apartments and co-existing quite amicably with close neighbours. Many elderly people are still capable of walking their dogs. If not, it might be possible to have someone else

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fill in for them. Some exercise is important, but a well cared for and contented dog, especially an older dog, will happily remain close to its owner. If several other countries can allow the elderly living in care facilities or accommodation for retired people to have a pet, why can’t we? We need to encourage a general culture of caring in our society, whereas now it seems to exist only in small pockets.

“I don’t want pets around!”

One of Jean’s letters to the press brought a response from a pensioner who was still living in her own home, but was searching for a suitable alternative. She said she had put up with noisy dogs and inconsiderate owners for years in her present neighbourhood and couldn’t wait to find a place where she would never hear a dog “barking, yapping or whining” again, to say nothing of “stepping on someone else’s dog’s poo”. She is against all “noise-generating pets”. What she was looking for was “peace and quiet”. Well, we can all be sure of getting an eternity of peace and quiet that when our lives come to an end. In the meantime, almost all facilities for the elderly ban pets, so the writer of the letter will surely be able to find a place for herself that will meet her requirements, but she might find deadly quiet less attractive than she anticipates, because along with that goes the loneliness

and depression of many others who long for their pets, and this does not make for a happy atmosphere. The two possible inconveniences for others are excessive barking and “unwelcome deposits in public areas”, but these are not uncontrollable nuisances. Pet owners would need to sign an agreement with landlords, body corporates or management that they will do all they can to ensure that their pets do not behave ‘unreasonably’. There will always be non-pet lovers who also complain ‘unreasonably’, of course. (Perhaps owners of pets and non-owners should, as far as possible, live in different parts of the building!) Deprived of an animal companion, says Jean Cronwright, “people in ‘no pets allowed’ establishments sit alone where nothing breathes, where nothing moves, where nothing responds… Grief and loneliness bite deep. They struggle against depression and isolation.” Then comes the downward spiral in health, the lack of a will to meaning… and the escalating medical bills. How can animal lovers ever expect to call places like this ‘home’? And yet there are just a few establishments that have modified this ruling and have made having pets a workable option. For further information, look up Society for Animal Companion Studies, Pets for Life, and similar sites on the Internet.

Sectional Title Act

Not everyone living in a Sectional Title property knows Annexure 9 Rule 1 of the Sectional Title Act which stipulates that permission to have pets cannot be unreasonably withheld. If a clause contradicting the Act is included in the House Rules, the Body Corporate can be sued. Nonetheless, many buildings appear to have this ruling at their entrances or on their front doors. It is not legal and can be challenged under the law. Of course, different people see ‘reasonably’ and ‘unreasonably’ differently, and some buildings where apartments have a small garden area require owners to seek permission to have a dog or cat before they move in. Some buildings even prohibit birds, fish, pet rats or mice. But the fact is that they cannot just summarily ban pets on the grounds that they simply do not want them in any part of the building. Many pet owners are unaware of this.

A comment from Glynne

Well-known animal behaviour consultant, Glynne Anderson, who died recently, wrote supportively to Jean on this issue over five years ago. She talked about “the faithful companions of many years” having to be “prematurely put down” because of the draconian “no pets allowed” policy and of the grief this caused to so many at a time when they were at their most vulnerable. A dog is seen as “out of the question”, she said, while a cat will “eat the birds” or “sit on the cars”… “But what about the lonely, dejected human soul… must it just become another statistic waiting for God(ot)?”. The SPCA teems with unwanted dogs and cats, many of whom would make loving companions. Glynne

/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

called them “priceless riches waiting to be claimed”. The elimination of the “no pets allowed” clause would save many animals’ lives, apart from anything else. It is true that rules would need to be imposed on the behaviour of animals, and that pet owners would need to observe them, but perhaps rules should also be imposed on those who currently deny others “the privilege of keeping pets”. Would these same people deny a blind person a guide dog? Glynne called the banning of pets from establishments for the elderly “a violation of human rights”. Those who favour the ban see it in reverse, of course, and feel that having animals about the place would violate their human rights. But there is always a middle path. We just need to decide to find it.

Recognition of the benefits of having a pet

All over the world there is increasing recognition of the benefits to human beings of having a pet. In 1995, the International Association of HumanAnimal Interaction Organisations (IAHAIO) wrote its Geneva Declaration calling on governments to recognise the therapeutic value of the closeness of the human-animal bond and to make use of this knowledge to pass supportive legislation for pets in both housing and residential care. It was endorsed by the World Health Organisation. The Tokyo Declaration followed in 2007, affirming that “It is a universal, natural and basic human right to benefit from the presence of animals.” The benefits of keeping pets for both the communitybased elderly and those in retirement villages or residences (homes) for senior citizens are well documented. There are both emotional support and health benefits. The International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organisations, an official working partner NGO of the World Health Organisation, has emphasised the importance of allowing contact with pets in both public and private housing, whenever the pets can be properly housed and cared for, and consideration is given to the rights of nearby non-pet owners. The bond between the elderly and their pets is protected under the law in many countries, including the USA, France, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Norway and Monaco. All have introduced legislation to ensure that the elderly have the right to keep animals or maintain contact with animals, whether they live independently in the community or in care homes or other facilities. In March 2010, Britain passed a bill much along the same lines as part of an ongoing move to prevent the elderly from being denied the comfort of having a pet. In the UK, concerns are often expressed regarding how the country will be able to provide properly for a growing population of older people. Companion animals are seen as part of the solution. The role of pets therefore needs to be investigated by both governments and the ‘caring professions’. The Pets for Life website was created by the SCAS (Society for Companion Animal Studies), the PFMA (Pet

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Food Manufacturers Association) and The Blue Cross charity to encourage support for the elderly to benefit from the companionship of pets and the health benefits that it is now known that this provides. Durban’s Retirement Times of January 2011 listed the following health benefits: • Reduced stress levels • Lower blood pressure • Less cardiovascular disease • Less loneliness • Feeling of isolation much reduced • Increased alertness • Maintained interest in life • Increased activity The article mentions the need to visit a reputable pet store when purchasing a pet, but at the SPCA we always have a large number of dogs and cats desperate for homes and they go to their new owners neutered, dewormed, inoculated and in spotless, healthy condition.

“Pets allowed” support group needed

“We need to found a society and have a steering committee to get it going,” Jean says. “We need a

Durban & Coast SPCA Humane I take several groups at each school and present my talks at a really simplified level, as there are quite a few children who hear English only at school and whose ears are therefore not socially attuned to it. Finding the appropriate level for each school is something one has always to take into account, so the style of presentation can vary, although there are essential issues that must always be covered. The focus is on compassion, on changing attitudes, giving practical, simple information, and on making a difference in the lives of animals. One of the schools I visited early in the year was Parkvale Primary, a school that is always worth a visit, as they welcome a visit from the SPCA Humane Education outreach programme. The children are unfailingly interested and attentive. Phoenix Heights Primary School is situated in quite a poor community, with some children clearly living below the breadline… but what an amazing school. The boundary wall is painted with bright motifs, and the gardens and paths are neatly maintained. Some rooms are tiled with Italian tiles or carpeted. I have never seen that many air-conditioning units at any of the other Phoenix schools. Rooms have curtains, and the walls are painted in sunshine colours. The desks and office furniture are modern and well looked after. This charming school must seem a haven to these children. The school does a lot of fundraising, and the morale is high. The school has won numerous awards, which shows one that it can be done. The children are wellbehaved and responsive, in contrast to some of the schools I visit, where the atmosphere can seem almost laboured at times, with both the children and teachers

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distinctive logo. We need to liaise with organisations like Tafta, the SPCA, the Animal Anti-Cruelty League, Paws for People, and similar bodies. We need the support of the medical profession, since the health of people deprived of their precious pets is surely of humane concern (there is much excellent documentation on this), and we need the support of veterinarians, psychologists and even the pet food industry.” We are all familiar with Gandhi’s much-quoted comment that a nation can be morally judged by the way it treats its animals. We can also be morally judged by the way old people are treated in our society. By putting pets and lonely people together, we go some way towards being more moral, and certainly kinder. “How tragic things are at present,” Jean says. “Thousands of fine healthy animals have to be put down by animal organisations because of lack of homes for them and at the same time thousands of lonely elderly people suffer the trauma of loneliness and desperately miss not having a pet. All we are asking for is a little leeway during a settling-down period for people with pets which would allow both owners and pets to adjust to a set of reasonable rules.”

Education Project

Laura Pretorius

tired and a bit dispirited. What a pleasure to visit Sunbeam Primary School. The principal, Mr Govender, is a compassionate person and always gives me a warm welcome. The learners are extremely well mannered and very responsive. For the first time ever, learners from two different classes wanted to know why dogs bark. They kept me on my toes with questions. And most learners seemed to take our discussion of fireworks seriously. This part of the programme is always emphasised. When I ask Grade 4s whether cats should be bathed, I often get the answer that “cats suck themselves” and also that animals should be “sprayed” so that they don’t have babies. It is sometimes difficult to keep a poker face. In order to ensure that the little Grade 4s understood my message, I had to simplify the usual elementary language level I employ even further and made sure that I pronounce each word clearly and speak slowly. (Painstaking, but worth it!) About half way through the talk, I was pleased to see that the children were still bright-eyed, keen and communicative, but when I looked at their teacher, I was highly amused to see that she had fallen asleep, with her head dropping to one side! Of great importance is that I always talk about how we ourselves can make a difference in the world even when we think we can’t. When I tell the children that they must always speak out about cruelty and neglect, because that is how they can make the world a better place for animals, their eyes grow round with surprise. “If you see cruelty and do nothing about it even when you now know the number for the SPCA, then who is going to do something about it if you don’t?” I ask them.

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/ The Animal Angle / August 2011

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MARY REALLY DID HAVE A LITTLE LAMB! In 1806, a little girl called Mary Elizabeth Sawyer was born in a place called Sterling in Massachusetts in America. She grew up on a farm. One day her father brought in a newborn lamb that was very weak and struggling to survive. It was kept in the warm farm kitchen and fed by hand, and it became Mary’s special pet. It really did follow her to school one day. Mary hid it under her desk and hoped it would keep quiet during the lesson, but when she went up to say a recitation in front of the class, she heard ‘clatter, clatter, clatter’ on the wooden floor of the schoolroom. Her little lamb was not going to be left behind and was trotting along behind her! Mary was very embarrassed, but fortunately the teacher began to laugh. The lamb was put outside in a field to wait for school to finish. When Mary grew up, she became the matron of a hospital called the McLean Asylum for the Insane. In those days, people did not know much about mental illnesses, so there was no special treatment for the many kinds of mental illness and no special drugs to help people to carry on with their normal lives. She met a young man called Columbus Tyler at the hospital, and they were married when Mary was 29. They built a large home just outside the city of Boston. Mary was always interested in helping people, and she worked for many charities, such as helping those who were having problems because they drank too much alcohol and often got drunk. Columbus Tyler added some details to the story of Mary’s little lamb. He said that John Roulstone, the nephew of a minister in Sterling, was visiting the school on the morning when Mary’s lamb followed her to school. Roulstone thought it very funny and the next day he rode on horseback across the fields to the school and gave Mary a piece of paper on which he had written what became the nursery rhyme, “Mary had a little lamb”. In 1830, Sarah Josepha Hale published a book called Poems for our Children, and she included the nursery rhyme. Even today, no one is quite sure whether she wrote the nursery rhyme or whether John Roulstone did, but Columbus Tyler always said that the rhyme was the work of John Roulstone. No one could ask John Roulstone because he had died in 1822 when he was a first-year student at Harvard University. www.spcadbn.org.za

Mary’s hometown of Sterling erected a statue of Mary’s lamb on what was called ‘the common’, a piece of open land that belonged to everyone in the community, and people began to visit Sterling to see the house where Mary had lived when she was a child. Today Sterling has grown so much that the common on which the statue was erected has become the town centre. Mary was keen on the preservation of old buildings. In the 1870s, when Boston’s famous Old South Meeting House badly needed repairs, she donated a pair of socks her mother had knitted from wool cut from Mary’s lamb. The socks were unravelled, and little pieces of the wool were sold as mementos, along with Mary’s autograph. Mary and her husband never had any children, but the nursery rhyme about Mary’s little lamb brought pleasure to children over the years… and still does to this very day.

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