At Kimberley Veterinary Clinic, we have been fortunate enough to help some pretty special patients. This month’s special creature is BeetleJuice. Mr BeetleJuice is an Aardwolf.
An aardwolf (Proteles cristatus), is an insectivorous carnivore that is actually a rare type of hyena that feeds almost entirely on termites.
When the aardwolf smells termites or hears thousands of them in the grass with its sensitive ears, it laps them up with its modified, sticky tongue. In fact, it will eat between 250 000 and 300 000 termites per night! When feeding on termites, the aardwolf is careful not to eat the entire colony or to destroy the termite mound. This means that the termite colony can rebuild itself and its numbers. How special is that!
It is also known as a maanhaar jakkals.
3 weeks ago, BeetleJuice was rushed to our clinic by his loving family after having been missing for a very long time.
We suspect that he had been shot. His right hind leg was completely severed, and he had wounds along his back and through his left ear. On radiographs we could see what is thought to be remnants of shotgun pellets.
The Great Release
️ After a long and trying recovery BeetleJuice was successfully rehomed. Thanks to expert veterinary care from Dr Sherike van der Merwe and the rest of the Kimberley Vet team, lots of TLC and his unbreakable, feisty spirit, BeetleJuice is thriving.
After he has made a complete recovery, he will be able to roam free once again. Albeit on 3 legs instead of four.
A huge thank you to Hill’s Pet Nutrition, as well. Their Hill’s a/d was his absolute favourite snack! It was the only way to tame this wild beast.
While he still has a long way to go, this little dude can teach us a lot about perseverance and strength.
More on the Aardwolf
While like the hyena, the aardwolf is less of a runner, has five toes on the front feet instead of four and their skull is not as robust.
The elusive aardwolf is a beautiful animal, shy and nocturnal, that leads a relatively quiet, private life. It is monogamous and will find its mate and stick close to them while breeding and rearing their little cubs.
Their shelters can be holes, crevices and abandoned porcupine and aardvark burrows.
While the population numbers of the aardwolf are healthy, these animals continue to be persecuted by humans, as with most of our precious wildlife. People believe that they kill their livestock, and this is definitely not the case. They benefit the ecosystem by keeping the termite numbers within a healthy, manageable range. They are also hunted for their beautiful fur, hit by cars and trucks on busy motorways and killed by domestic dogs. Loss of habitat due to urbanisation and pollution is another threatening factor.
FUN FACT! Because it has no need for its other teeth, they are completely underdeveloped, which leave the aardwolf practically incapable of catching other prey or chewing any meat. Its well-developed canine teeth are solely used for fighting and defending itself.
For more information about the aardwolf, check out the Animalia website – https://animalia.bio/aardwolf
