Aug 3, 2010

Black and White

Sleep is not always an option for those who dedicate their lives to caring for animals. Brian experienced this last night (definitely not for the first time) when he received a distressed phone call at one o’ clock in the morning. The young lady on the other end had been driving and out of the blue a Honey Badger had appeared in front of her car. Before she was able to do anything to prevent a collision she hit the Honey Badger. Concerned about the state it was in she phoned Brian immediately to see if he was able to assist her.
Without hesitation Brian jumped into his bakkie and dashed over to the scene. When he arrived he saw that the Honey Badger was in a grave state. Her jaw was badly damaged with a large laceration under its chin. He brought the female Honey Badger back to the rehab.

The most important thing is to keep an animal that has gone into shock warm. She is now in the clinic in a bed of hay with blankets and heating pads. After treating her wounds, pain relief was administered as this poor animal must have been in agony. Fluids are also very important and the volunteer vet nurse had this tough little critter hooked up to an IV as soon as she could. As soon as was able we took her in for an x-ray to assess the damage. Unsurprisingly it was discovered that her jaw was fractured on one side.  Her future is not written in black and white and we can now only wait and see how this usually resilient animal works through the trauma that its tiny body has experienced.

When living in areas which are less built up, there is often the chance of crossing paths with wild animals, the hardy savvy creatures that have been able to survive out in the true “wild”. Many a time these encounters take place on the man-made death trap made of tar. When this happens there is often nothing we can do to prevent a collision but all we ask is, please do not leave the animal there before checking the animals state. If a creature like this is still alive there is always a chance that it may be saved.
Don’t throw its life away... call someone who can help.
Moholoholo Wildlife Rehab Centre: 015 795 5236 / 082 907 5984

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