Page 26 - Chiron Autumn/Winter 2023

sedation and the cage loaded onto the back of a vehicle so it could be relocated somewhere far away from the goats.
And then we got the call. The call to go see an injured southern white rhino.
I will certainly never forget the exhilarating drive over rough terrain in an open-sided vehicle, dodging bushes and trees, as we chased after the darted rhino, who travelled hundreds of metres before finally succumbing to the sedation. Once he was down, it was all hands-on deck to keep him cool in the midday heat while the wounds (a result
of fighting over territory due to overpopulation on the conservancy) were cleaned with iodine and treated with antiseptic spray. We had to roll him onto his side at one point, to gain access to more wounds, and
roll him back onto his front when
we were done, before making a quick getaway to vehicles when the sedation was reversed.
It was a great experience working with the Kenyan Wildlife Services, getting up close to these magnificent creatures in their natural environments. The veterinary team were incredibly inclusive, allowing us to assist
some non-animal community engagement. During the first week, we spent a day at Ontulili Mixed Day Secondary School, helping to install guttering and a new water tank. While I don’t think our group was particularly well suited to the task (we had no idea what we were doing), we did manage to get the guttering up and the tank installed with only a couple of leaks where we’d run out of sealant (some of the
pressure readings and providing transportation for a photographer.
We were in Kenya for just over four weeks but were able to see and learn so much. It was a privilege
to spend time with the vets from North Kenya Veterinary Services and to go out with the Kenya Wildlife Services. Both teams were incredibly welcoming and open, sharing stories of the struggles they face, some relatable (like the eternal battle with client compliance) and some we can only imagine (such as the war against poachers). I hope such opportunities are available to future veterinary officers and nurses deploying to Kenya, as it was a wonderful experience, and it would be great to continue building these relationships.
where possible
and answering
our many
questions about
the animals
and their work.
It would have
been wonderful
to stay out there
longer and see
even more – there were plans in place to move twenty rhinos from Ol Pejata to a different conservancy but unfortunately this was pushed back so we were unable to participate.
As for our own dogs, they fortunately didn’t require too much attention. One dog had to be sedated to retrieve a grass seed from her ear canal but otherwise the worst we dealt with was a bit of vomiting and diarrhoea that soon resolved.
While most of our time was spent doing our own thing (vet stuff),
we did manage to chip in and help the HARAKA SERPENT team with
group returned the next day to finish the job).
The main effort for the rest of the HARAKA SERPENT team was eleven days spent travelling to
rural villages providing medical treatment alongside the Kenyan Red Cross and Beyond Zero (a local charity). We (the vet team) weren’t able to help with most of these as we were otherwise committed and most of the villages were too far away should we be called. However, there was one day where they were at a local village, so we offered our services. Our services included putting up (and later taking down) tents, setting up tables and benches, entertaining children (I played frisbee and Lt Kirlew tried to teach them the Cups song), taking blood
“I will certainly never forget the exhilarating drive over rough terrain in an open- sided vehicle, dodging bushes and trees, as we chased after the darted rhino”
24 / Chiron Calling