One for all and all for the animals

From bushbabies to mongooses, the fun and bubbly Karen Zastron takes in all abandoned and injured animals and gives them a loving sanctuary at her Ballito home.

Her passion for rescues was inspired by her aunt, Lynn Abott, who rescued all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures on her farm in Zimbabwe.

“My first little rescue was a mouse bird, which I found at a bus stop in Durban about 30 years ago,” said Zastron, who has been living in Ballito for 23 years.

Zastron has looked after hundreds of birds, from injured hawks to owls, fruit bats, a piglet named Sybil and a shy, albino hedgehog called Mr Prickles.

“Owls are beautiful. You have to beware of their claws, but besides that they are wonderful creatures and I am lucky that two of them still come visit me for a night time chat,” said Zastron, who is a trained medical technologist, but runs a home renovations and alterations business when she is not saving an animal.

Mr Prickles was an unwanted pet, who found his new home in Zastron’s garden, where he shows face every now and then in the evenings and has a little social session with her.

Sybil on the other hand was a much cuddlier rescue case and even made it into Zastron’s bed.

“Sybil had to be rescued from her mother, because she did not get enough milk. She was so sweet and intelligent and slept in my bed for the first two nights, because she was so small,” said Zastron, who’s husband, Robin is luckily very tolerant.

“Everyone in the family plays a role, my son Denver is the catcher and helps me find injured or abandoned animals, my daughter Teagan helps me feed and cuddle and Robin is the hunter, often bringing me some grasshoppers or snails.”

Finding food is one of the biggest problems.

“I battle to find mice and other little crawlies, but I have been really lucky to have the help of the Ballito pet shop, who give me a monthly allocation to spend on whatever I need in the shop and Chrissie Ferrels helps me out with hand rearing milk for the kittens and mongoose and of course my worm man, Mr Patterson who supplies me with me with different worms,” she said with a chuckle.

She is very grateful to receive the medical help her rescues need from the Ballito Veterinary Hospital, because without them she would not have been able to save many of the often sick or injured animals.

Mongooses are Zastron’s resident rescues and chatter excitedly when they see her coming, especially when she has a little slice of apple or sweet potato for them.

“Four of them are my sick, lame and lazies, who cannot be released, but I have ten new babies between the ages of two and six months, which is great, because they can be released as a group.”

Zastron feels strongly about releasing the animals, although it is always a bitter sweet moment.

“I have managed not to get so attached to them, so I do not have three day mourning episodes anymore, but it is not for the fainthearted, especially not knowing if they have survived out there or not.”

As cute as it all sounds, it is not all cuddles and harmony at the Zastron sanctuary, as some of the residents are not so easy to please, or feed at least.

“We rescued a Maribu stalk once, who was a nightmare to feed because of his dangerous beak, so my hands were shredded after every meal,” she said with a smile, while looking at her hands.

One thing is for sure, no matter how much her hands are scratched or how difficult it is to get up in the middle of the night to bottle feed a little creature, Zastron loves what she does and is prepared to help any animal, no matter how dangerous its beak is or how sharp its claws.