Three fluffy little surprise visitors take a ride to Skukuza in car’s engine
These adorable little kittens were the talk of the town when they accidentally arrived in Skukuza after getting into a car's engine, supposedly for the warmth.
It is not often that domestic kittens give the Kruger’s big cats a run for their money, but these three surely stole the show on June 10. Maryke Hastie’s phone lit up that afternoon with a message from Lin-Mari de Klerk-Lorist, the state veterinarian in Skukuza, asking her whether she could come and fetch three kittens that had been found in a car’s engine.
That Friday morning started out like any other for hundreds of SANParks employees. Some live inside the park and some outside in the small towns dotting the borders of Kruger. It was a cold morning, and one employee left her home in Bushbuckridge to head into the park and to work. At the gate, her permit was scanned and her vehicle checked with the engine running. She said a quick hello and drove on to work.
Once parked at Skukuza, she got out, but stopped dead in her tracks as a strange sound was coming from her engine. It was meowing! She called two nearby rangers, and upon opening the bonnet, they discovered three kittens hiding inside. The rangers immediately closed the bonnet so as not to startle the kittens and rushed to De Klerk-Lorist’s office, thankfully nearby. The conversation was confusing to say the least, she laughingly remarked afterwards.
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“Ma’am, there is a lady and she has cats.” “Excuse me?” “Yes, Ma’am. She has cats. She didn’t bring them, but they are here.” “This I have to see. You’d best show me.”
Three little kittens were huddled in the engine compartment near the front grille. De Klerk-Lorist grabbed a capture box used for capturing small game. As she reached in to take them out, all three kittens fell out the bottom, but the rangers were quick on the draw and caught them within seconds. Safely in the crate, they were taken inside and straight into quarantine.
It is normally the rule that such animals should be euthanised, but De Klerk-Lorist contacted the head ranger in Skukuza to discuss the situation. As the kittens were contained, never had contact with any other animal, and did not pose a threat to spread any disease, the decision was made that they may be removed. And so it came that on the next day, Hastie headed from a farm on the Mara Road up to Skukuza.
“I have rehabilitated many animals, wild and domestic, and luckily am equipped with pet crates and more for this kind of thing,” said Hastie. De Klerk-Lorist wrote out the necessary permits and the kittens left the park; this time in far more luxury and comfort than the day before.
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It is speculated that they are feral, and looking for shelter and heat, perceived the engine as a safe space. “That they survived such an ordeal is a miracle,” said Hastie. They have spent the past week with her, where they have become happy, playful little personalities. Hastie said Pro-Life Pet Rescue, Rehabilitation and Adoption Agency took the kittens in.
De Klerk-Lorist wanted to use this opportunity to bring awareness to staff and guests alike. “Before you leave camp in the morning to go on game drives, have a quick look in the engine. Squirrels, snakes, bush babies, monitors and other animals have been found in engines before, and having a look can save a life.”
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