by Rina Van Eeden | Oct 21, 2021 | Exotics, Feel Good Stories
“There’s something special about it. I can’t explain it. But once you see this magical creature, you’ll know. To be able to follow her, to protect her, help her, is a feeling that cannot be described. It’s like walking on Holy ground.”
Most people you know have never seen a living pangolin. Most people don’t even know what a pangolin is. Also known as ‘the scaly anteater’, pangolins are often confused with reptiles, but is actually the only mammal entirely covered in scales.
While these creatures are elusive and not much is known about them, one thing we do know is that they are currently the most trafficked mammal in the world. More than 1 million pangolins have been poached during the last decade.
Why Are Pangolins In Danger?
After having annihilated almost all Asian species, rogues are now coming for our African pangolins. Not even their elusive nature is able protect them from poachers. When poached, they suffer the most horrific time. They starve, having been ripped from their natural habitat, are abused, shoved, haggled over and terrorised at the hands of their captors. A few lucky ones get saved, those who don’t, meet an unimaginable fate.
Their scales are used for absurd, bogus medicinal purposes that have no scientific backing. Their skin for accessories and their meat is seen as a delicacy. The irony? Their scales are made of keratin, the exact same thing our fingernails are made of!
“Everyone who comes into contact with them, everyone who works with them somehow spiritually connect to them. One stands there, spellbound, as if you could watch them forever.”
What we are concerned about right now is not just pangolins. We are facing a much greater disaster. The ecological effects would be astronomical, and, if we lose the pangolins, we lose the earth’s great gardeners.
Pangolins in South Africa Are In Trouble
It’s clear that the pangolins of Africa are in the middle of a destructive poaching storm. There is no doubt that they are in serious trouble and the signs do not point to a good outcome. They’ve been around for over 80 million years and it looks as if they could vanish in our lifetime, simply because of the greed of people. But, fortunately there are also people who inspire us and help protect these precious scaly anteaters. There are fearless individuals who aid in protecting these wonderful creatures increase our knowledge and help us save them.
Is there hope? The business of conservation must be run by optimists. You have to be optimistic, tenacious, so yes, there is hope! We are optimists.
To find out more about pangolins, please visit the EWT website – https://ewt.org.za/fs-july-2021-giving-a-voice-to-the-voiceless-the-role-of-impact-statements-in-wildlife-criminal-trials/
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by Rina Van Eeden | May 4, 2021 | Cats, Dogs, Exotics
Dealing with the loss of a pet can be very difficult. Experiencing the death of a pet can come without notice. Things happen that are unexpected and incredibly painful. When we open our hearts and our homes to our furry, or not so furry, family members, pets and animal companions, we have hopes of a full, happy and healthy life for each of us.
Mostly, that is the case, but sometimes we don’t get that opportunity. Experiencing the death of a pet that is unexpected, sudden and tragic can leave a profound impact on us. So many times we can place unfair guilt on ourselves for the experience, blaming ourselves for what has happened.
Grief isn’t easy when it is expected and is even harder when it is not.
A common phrase we hear among the grieving is that one needs to “find closure”, but convoluted feelings arise when faced with ‘incomplete’ grief experiences. The truth is, many times we as pet owners cannot experience “closure” before being faced with the death of a pet.
Within the grieving process, our brain attempts to make sense of this profound experience. We try to believe that things happen for a reason, even if that reason leads us to blame ourselves. When something goes wrong, it is extremely important to remember that we didn’t plan for it to happen.
It Is Not Your Fault
Guilt is a powerful emotion that has a huge impact on our lives, consciously and unconsciously. Guilt makes us punish ourselves. Throughout the grieving process, we place a massive amount of guilt upon ourselves. This pressure, this guilt, leads to an increase in anxiety and even feelings of panic. We need to remember to allow ourselves to process through our emotions in a healthy way.
It can be easy to lose control quickly when we, consciously or subconsciously, place more and more pressure on ourselves. We can easily feel burdened, overwhelmed and feel that we are unable to meet our daily needs throughout the grieving process.
If you feel this happening to you, it can be helpful to ask ourselves, ”What would my pet want for me?”. Would your pet want you to blame yourself, or would they be understanding with you? Would they want for your happiness regardless of what happened? I would say so, without any hesitation. That’s just how amazing our pets are.
Remember, it is completely normal to experience many different emotions in the beginning of, and throughout the grieving process, especially when it comes to facing the sudden death of your pet.
It is important to experience healthy distractions. A healthy distraction could be as simple as a walk through the park. It may be a close, understanding friend taking us out for coffee and laughing about something small. It may be when you’re reminiscing of fond memories of your pet and smile – it is so important to talk about what you are feeling.
These distractions are fundamental and allow us, even if just for a moment, to unburden ourselves. Grieving is hard work, it is extremely taxing on our body, but it is also a crucial thing to experience.
Grief is a Moment-to-Moment Process
If you take no other advice from this, remember that grief is a moment-to-moment process. It can be too hard to ask for even one day at a time, because a day can seem endless when we feel overwhelmed by our grief.
Remember that in this moment and with every emotion our body is processing through our grief. Please know that you are not alone. We are always here for you.
For more resources on how to cope with your pet’s death, please read this petMD article – https://www.petmd.com/dog/care/coping-your-pets-death-important-guide
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by Rina Van Eeden | May 18, 2020 | Exotics, Fun Facts!, Patient of the Week
Our patient of the week, Tank the Tortoise. This little guy is an absolute fighter, even though he’s smaller than a 2ml syringe!
Tank is a Leopard Tortoise.
Although Leopard Tortoises live a long time in captivity, they seldom thrive! In fact, they slowly become anorexic and nutritionally deficient and, unfortunately, their owners rarely notice because of their shell.
The reason they become nutrient-deficient is that, in the wild, they are highly selective feeders and eat exactly what they need to maintain optimal health!
What they are fed in captivity is very rarely correct or sufficient.
Fun Fact: One of their main sources of protein and calcium is from eating carnivore poop!
Also, they carry a number of undesirable diseases…
These are some of the main reasons it is imperative to have a permit from Nature Conservation to keep any animal found in the wild.
It is highly discouraged for people to try turn them into pets!
Young tortoises, like Tank, are highly vulnerable to predators like dogs, cats, jackals, crows, birds of prey and mongooses because their shells are still very soft.
We suspect he was chomped on by a dog.
(By the way, this is hands down the cutest bandage we’ve ever done!)
He has been safely handed over to the dedicated staff in the Zoology department of the McGregor Museum, who have agreed to help save this adorable reptile. They will monitor him closely and keep him healthy until he can be released into the wild.
Thank you to the wonderful people who brought him to our clinic. The world needs more people as compassionate as you!
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