Back to Zim

A view of the fabulous Vic Falls on the way to Mana Pools

At home watching Andy Murray playing at Wimbledon on the Telly, reflecting on the last 2 weeks  Cathy and I spent in Zimbabwe. A fantastic trip back to an extraordinary country.
Our first week was spent with a lovely group of wildlife enthusiasts all wishing to get up close and personal with the fantastic Painted Dogs.
As patron of Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), I was along to share my experiences with one of Africa's most endangered large carnivores (second only to the Ethiopian Wolf) and to inform the group about the amazing work done by PDC helping to preserve this beautiful animal and the local communities that live along side it.
For the first few days we were joined by PDC founder, Dr Greg Rasmussen, who has recently left PDC to continue his research (forming the new Painted Dog Research Trust, click HERE to visit their page), and we were rewarded with fantastic dog encounters in the stunning Mana Pools.

Note heavily pregnant alpha female in centre picture

The rest of the trip was spent in the area of Hwange National Park, seeing the dogs there and the incredible work done by PDC to support them and the local communities around the centre.
Our guests' last morning involved coming into one of the local villages to see a domestic dog vaccination clinic run in co-operation between PDC, the local government vet and Wildlife Vets International (of who I am a patron also - see WVI page HERE).
Compared to our last visit, both Cathy and I were better prepared. We had another batch of amazing donations from multiple medical companies that made our lives so much easier (battery operated hair clippers - essential!). Back to back neutering for me and Cathy over 4 days saw us spay six bitches and castrate over 60 dogs! My back was in bits (and I'm not over 6 months pregnant like my awesome wife)!
Over 840 dogs (and a couple of cats) were vaccinated against rabies. The dogs were also vaccinated against distemper, parvovirus and other lethal diseases - protecting them and the wildlife they come into contact with. A great effort once again by all involved.

Also thanks to: Millpledge Vet Ltd, Vétiquonol UK , Burtons Veterinary Equipment, MediMark Scientific, Meadows Animal Healthcare, Norbrook UK, Virbac UK, Safe4 Disinfectants for their kind donations.

New balls please!

For more information: see my PDC page by CLICKING HERE, or WVI page by CLICKING HERE or see previous blogs on this page from June 2012