Employees at the Friends of Rescued Animals (Fora) shelter in Luipaardsvlei rescued a rather unusual animal last Wednesday (23 March).
A Brahman calf was found wandering the streets of Lewisham, dodging cars during peak traffic. The six-month-old calf would probably have been eaten eventually, Fora manager Linda Scrace told the News.
“We got a phone call from a woman who saw the roaming calf from about 10am that morning. She had tried to contact the SPCA but eventually called us for help,” she said.
Linda and a few other Fora employees went to where the calf was spotted, and members of the Community Policing Forum also helped to catch it.
“We struggled quite a bit to catch it, but we finally found a yard we could lead him into. It was lifted into my bakkie and we took it to Fora,” Linda said.
The panicked Brahman has since calmed down and even warmed up to some of the staff. Coreen Clark regularly feeds the calf, who was named Winston, and said it now gets excited when it sees her. They treated a wound on one of its legs and de-wormed it. Fora is waiting for students from Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital to vaccinate and castrate Winston. Linda explained that after it has been castrated, it will be more docile.
According to Linda, there has been an offer from a resident to adopt Winston as a pet.
“He can be kept as a pet. He is still young enough to tame if he is kept around humans,” Linda explained.
This is the first time Fora had to save such a large and unusual animal. Other than cats and dogs, Linda only once had to take in two piglets.
A full Brahman bull would cost you a few of thousands of rand at the butchery, Linda said. But as things are, he not likely will see the abattoir soon.
Contact Fora on 082 336 5568 for more information on their adoption process or other services.
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