Wandering Wildlife Vet

Time has flown by faster than I could have ever expected. I can’t believe I leave this place in 8 days. I’m so excited for Namibia and my new adventure but I love this place so much. I’m already planning when I’m going to come back and I haven’t even left yet.

This past week we had a decent amount of rain which was really good and everything is very green again. Friday was the hardest day I have had here. We rescued 16 baby herons earlier in the week. Herons are carnivorous birds so we have to cut up loads of meat for them. On Friday, we caught almost 40 frogs while cleaning out a pond. I was voluntold to cut up the frogs for the birds. Unfortunately, that includes killing them by cutting their heads off. It was the most heart wrenching thing I have ever had to do. I just kept telling myself that it was the best thing for these birds and they would be hungry without it. I made it through but it’s not something I ever want to do again.

Saturday was a normal work day but I got to go out to a game reserve by the airport to see the buffalos owned by Chipangali. They are kept out there because they haven’t been able to get the permits from the National Park service for over 4 years! While we were there, we saw giraffe, zebra, kudu, impala, and wildebeest. It was a great end to the day.

Sunday was our half day but we got to release a hyena later in the afternoon! The hyena’s name was Harley and she was caught about a month and a half ago. When she was caught, she had a bicycle cable all the way around her head and through both sides of her jaw. It had been there for so long that her skin had grown around it and she couldn’t properly eat. We treated her and got her back to a healthy weight so that she could be released. It was a great experience to see her run off into the bush!

I’m going to make the most of these last few days but I sure am going to miss my people!