NOVEMBER 2007

Here you see the plans I made for the proposed SUNI-RIDGE WILDLIFE ORPHANAGE.
A safe haven for orphaned wild animals like baby elephants, baby rhino, but also for smaller animals that need help etc.
The Suni Ridge org. has made a piece of their privately run reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal in South Africa available to start up a provisional wildlife orphanage for the whole district.
Funding and sponsoring is desperately needed to get this project off the ground. For information see www.suni-ridge.org.za

SEPTEMBER 2007

NEWSFLASH !!!!!!!!

From South-Africa, Kwazulu Natal the question came to me to set up a Wildlife Orphanage. A safe haven for all sorts of young wild animals who without any help would certainly die.
It would be an amazing opportunity to continue the research into the effects of stress on young animal orphans and to keep on searching for ways to minimize the very often dramatic consequences.

SUNI-RIDGE WILDLIFE ORPHANAGE

More news will follow.

UPDATE AUGUST 2007-The Research Program

The first part of the research at the nursery of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust into the effects of stress on the baby elephants and the treatment to help overcome these effects has been concluded.

An incredible amount of information and insight into the physiological processes of the baby elephants, as a result of the traumatic experiences they went through before arriving in the safe haven of the Sheldrick Trust, has been the result.
The swabs that were sent from Kenya to Holland by courier every three weeks provided the data needed to register the progress as well as determine the regular changes needed in the baby-ele's medication.

The tragic loss of both Galdessa and Kilgoris was even more sad because we were never able to determine the exact cause of death.

The distance turned out to be an insurmountable barrier in the end to proceed with further necessary research and this is the reason the project has been put on hold for now.
We are currently looking into possibilities to work on location to continue the project.

THE ELEPHANT UPDATES -JUNE 2007

The journey of Sian, Kenze and Loijuk to Ithumba

The journey to Ithumba is an arduous 8 hours on far from good roads, so the three transferees were tired upon arrival, but glad to get out and have a welcome noon day milk feed before being taken to the Ithumba drinking trough for a cool-down and drink of water. The younger Ithumba orphans then came at a run to greet them, surrounding them, touching them, rumbling and trumpeting, and checking them out carefully and lovingly. Kenze found the close attention of so many others somewhat overwhelming, and with a gentle shove requested some distance, but when the older orphans arrived, everything changed. Suddenly, he was in a real herd, with older females, all laying loving trunks over him, and all eager to have him close as their own. Instantly he calmed down, and became “theirs”. Meanwhile Loijuk and Sian were also accepting and calm, recognized by Orok and Lualeni, whom they had met at Nursery level.

To read the complete account go to www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/updates/updates.asp?ID=120ZURURA
The last testresults of Zurura give him a clean bill of health again. No traces of the virus left.
Daphne Sheldrick has decided to not have any tests done at this point to research the presence of a herpes virus.
Marja Kik, veterinary department of the university of Utrecht has promised to be on standby in case this situation changes at some point in the future.


MWEIGA

Last testresults show a malfunctioning of the pancreas.
Other than that she is again on the road to recovery. The vet will do a bloodsugar test on her as soon as he is back in Voi, to give us some insight in the functioning of her pancreas and the related bloodsugarlevels.

LESANJU
Lesanju too is now without any medication for the virus, all she gets now are some homeopathic drops to help cleanse her system.

LENANA
no trace of the virus left, she still gets some homeopathic medicins and mineral tablets.

SHIMBA
everything OK

LEMPAUTE
everything OK

THE ELEPHANT UPDATES - May 2007

KORA-May 2007
Kora's jaw has been closed for several months now. He is growing both in physique as well as in character. He is often found leading the herd toward the milkfeed to make sure he is there on time.







MADIBA-May 2007
Madiba's chronic lymphenode infections are beginning to disappear.


KENZE-May 2007
Dosis Engystol brought back to 50 %. No problems and he is getting ready for his move to Ithumba which will probably take place on the 24th of May.








LENANA-May 2007
Lenana's system is getting rid of the virus, she is doing fine and the testresults are good. Still on the Engystol.

LEMPAUTE-May 2007
Her healthy sturdy mischievous lovely little self.

LESANJU-May 2007
Still getting rid of the virus, she was not well for a few days, loose stools and not her cheerful self but is having better testresults on the whole. She was prescribed a pro-biotic to help sustain a healthy intestinal flora and her dosis Engystol is cut in half.

SHIMBA-May 2007
No problems, testresults are OK.


Lesanju, Shimba and Lempaute

THE ELEPHANT UPDATES - April 2007

ZURURA April 2007
Because we had just seen little Galdessa dying from unrelenting bouts of diarrhoea and Kilgoris was showing similar symptoms for which he got a very strong antibiotic cure, Zurura was given the same cure as precaution when he too showed signs of very loose stools.

The swabs of both Kilgoris and Zurura showed signs of a viral infection. Zurura's glands were swollen too but the swelling disappeared after a while.

To everyone's horror Kilgoris too died after an incredibly brave and very long struggle, according to the lab in Nairobi from an e-coli infection.

This made me want to find out what exactly was going on and if we could somehow by understanding how the infection was contracted prevent it from happening again. Dr. Marja Kik (veterinary faculty of the university of Utrecht) had the idea ,that there was a possibility of a herpes virus infection. It is a well known fact that Indian elephants get very sick from this virus of which the African elephants, as far as is known, are only the carriers and do not get sick.

More and more however there are signs that the African elephant indeed can also get very sick and sometimes die from this herpes virus. She consulted with collegues in the Rotterdam Zoo and if some serum could be collected from Zurura and be sent to the University of Rotterdam, Prof. Ab Osterhaus would do the necessary research.

ZURURA-April 2007
Zurura is still testing positive for a viral infection and is treated at the moment by me with Engystol. (photo)

LESANJU-April 2007
Lesanju too suffered from swollen lympheglands and also tested positive for a viral infection in March.The swelling in her glands has gone down but like Zurura the last test still showed signs of a virus being present so she too is treated at the moment with Engystol.

KENZE-April 2007
Although Kenze did not suffer from swollen glands he too tested positive for the virus and had several points during the test that showed a distinct deviation. They all corrected however by adding Engystol . As of April 12th he too is getting Engystol.

LENANA-April 2007
Very similar to Kenze so as of April 12th she too is being treated with Engystol. (photo: Lenana hugs Chyulu)

MWEIGA

Mweiga has been in the elephant orphanage in Tsavo since 1998. As a seven months old baby she had lost her mother and the rest of the herd when they had been chased away by local inhabitants, a problem of animal control in an area which had seen an increase of human habitation.

She was a weak little ellie and never managed to catch up partly due to the lack of sufficient and nutritious vegetation a baby elephant needs, in this area which is often plagued by intense and prolonged periods of drought.

When she became a patient she was in a sad state, very thin and barely any muscles to support her, a heart condition had been diagnosed by the vet as well as arthritic problems. The test soon revealed a gigantic systemic candida, all the organs were in trouble and there were huge deficiencies of a number of nutrients.

She soon started picking up weight and strength and her muscles too started to get stronger. Daphne decided to give her on top of the milk she had been kept on since she was a baby, extra supplies of milk replacer 3 times a day and copra, grated coconut. Pretty soon Mweiga started to get well and for the first time she could keep up with rest of the herd and even started climbing Mazenga hill.

Shortly after she joined the other ele's in the mudbath, which she had never dared before for fear of being accidentally thrown over. Sadly enough however, her weight increase went so fast that soon her muscles couldn't cope with it and her condition started to deteriorate again. The tests on her urine/saliva swabs showed that the candida was back and she was having problems with her pancreas.
The milk was stopped but when she got too weak it was started up again. When I visited her in February 2007 most of her excess weight had gone and she was looking somewhat better already.

On my advice she was put on solid food more geared towards her age with extra supplements to help her gain back her strength, the candida was treated and I was hopeful when I left her.

It turned out however to be difficult to find the right kind of food for her in Kenya and soon she was back on the milk because she started losing weight and strength again. It will be a trial and error situation until the right balance in food is found for her.