Etwatwa goose saved
An injured goose was treated recently, after being rescued by Ernie Ndlovu, a 16-year-old boy from Etwatwa.
Jose Barbosa, one of the founders of Animal Lovers Project Swing (ALPS), an animal welfare organisation working in Etwatwa, recently received a call from Ndlovu.
Ndlovu has been dubbed “Dr Doolittle” by the Etwatwa locals, for his volunteer work with ALPS.
He often phones ALPS for help with emergencies such as this, to which a volunteer will then respond by collecting the injured animals and transporting them to the ALPS vet for treatment.
The goose arrived in a terrible state after having cut the skin beneath its beak on a piece of wire. Its tongue was hanging out through the cut below the beak and, as a result, it could not eat or drink and, if not treated, it would have died a horrible death due to dehydration and starvation.
The goose was taken to Dr Le-anne Kleynhans, at the Bromhof Vet Clinic, in Randburg, a partner of ALPS.
She and her team were able to place the goose under anaesthetic and stitch the tongue back in place.
“He did very well during the surgery and as soon as he was awake he climbed straight into the large bowl of water we had placed in his cage and drank as if he’d never seen water.” said Kleynhans.
“We are happy to say he made a full recovery and went home to a very loving lady in Etwatwa, who highly values her two geese as personal pets.”
She added that it was with difficulty for them to handle the gander, as he was so aggressive.
“We really commend ALPS for the amazing, sustainable work they are doing,” Kleynhans said.
“We are also in the process of trying to get Ernie into Onderstepoort, as he would now like to become a vet!”
ALPS feeds over 120 dogs a month on an on-going basis in Etwatwa, and their aim is to educate locals on better health care for their pets.
They also organise sterilising, vaccination and parasite control for these animals.
For more information on getting involved, email Cassandra Barbosa on cassbar@live.co.za, or Ilse Weddell on ilse@itss.co.za.Any donations would be welcomed and can be dropped off at the Oakfields Vet, in Benoni.
