Wildlife rescuers worked tirelessly to capture a sub-adult kudu bull in Mnandi on Tuesday following calls from community members about a distressed animal on the loose in the area.

A spokesperson for the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (SAWRC), Leanne Hezlett said that on Tuesday, May 14, multiple residents in Mnandi reported seeing a young kudu bull in the area.

The SAWRC is a non-profit organisation that together with veterinarians rehabilitates sick, injured, or orphaned indigenous wildlife to return them to their natural habitats in a safe environment.

One of the volunteers for SAWRC, Hermien Grobler noticed the young bull was frantic as it jumped from plot to plot in the area.

Hezlett said that rescue teams worked tirelessly to give the bull time to calm down to lower the animal’s stress levels based on information from the ground team and their veterinarians’ advice before they managed to immobilise it.

The SAWRC worked closely with multiple organisations such as the SPCA, the metro police, nature conservation and SANBI National Zoo Pretoria.

Efforts were also supported by the Tshwane SPCA, and Dinokeng Game Reserve, where the bull was to be relocated.

“The kudu was injured while it was distressed, and it was treated and stitched on site after it was darted and immobilised.”

Dr Robert Campbell and the team from the Val-de-grace Crew Conservation Veterinary Clinic said that he got the call on Tuesday morning.

Campbell said that the kudu had major injuries to the upper nasal area and mouth.

“Before we darted and immobilised him, he was already showing signs of severe stress. His breathing was laboured and erratic, and he was salivating.

What concerned me was the moment he went down, his breathing went rapidly erratic, so we monitored his vitals throughout the immobilisation.”

He said that the team washed and disinfected the bull’s wounds after which he proceeded to suture the largest wounds, and administered the required medications.

Campbell said that shortly after leaving the site, the bull, unfortunately, succumbed to a combination of capture myopathy and compromising injuries.

“Capture myopathy occurs when animals are distressed or overexerted. Because he had been running around for some time, he would have had muscle breakdown, which can disrupt the homeostatic balance.”

He thanked the multiple organisations that responded to the rescue.

“People need to remember that when they see wildlife, they need to keep their distance to avoid causing stress to the animal.”

He said that Pretoria was lucky to have many “green lungs”, natural areas that could be home to wildlife, which meant that people might come into contact with animals.

As such, he said that residents should be aware of what to do in these situations.

“Unfortunately this was a sad outcome, but hopefully this can teach people that we can protect animals and humans at the same time.

“This can be done in the correct way by immediately informing someone like SAWRC and keeping a safe distance from the animals.”

Hezlett offered the following advice:

–     Wild animals can be unpredictable, and should not be approached.

–     Keep pets, especially dogs, and children indoors and away from the animal.

–     Stay inside or at a safe distance – at least 50m – from the animal.

–     Call the nearest wildlife rescue organisation.

–     Keep an eye on the animal until the experts arrive.

SAWRC can be reached on 073 112 1131 or 082 852 2510.

Meanwhile, reports of a kudu cow running loose in Mnandi on Wednesday were likely not true, according to wildlife rescuers on the scene.

Hezlett said that the reports likely originated from the reports of the kudu bull in the area the day before.

She said that they were aware of reports of a kudu cow in the area on Wednesday morning, but wildlife rescue teams could not find it when they searched the area.

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