Local wildlife veterinary hospital reflects on 2022

Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital reflected on a year of successes and funding challenges.

The veterinary hospital is based within the Glenferness area and is a rehabilitation centre solely dedicated to the treatment of injured wildlife. The hospital aims to rehabilitate the wildlife and release the animals into suitable habitats.

The wildlife treated at the veterinary hospital is brought in as a result of human or wildlife conflict, disaster, poisonings, illegal trade and poaching confiscations.

Some species they treat include raptors, serval, caracal, antelope and honey badgers to name a few. All treatment of wildlife is free of charge and they rely heavily on the support of the community and corporate sponsors to fund the hospital.

Looking back on the year, co-founder and head veterinarian of the veterinary hospital Dr Karin Lourens said, “Our hospital has started assisting in the prosecution of wildlife-related crime, not only in pangolin cases but also in some of the species that are often overlooked. At the moment we are assisting in almost 25 court cases and in many, we are the sole complainant,” she said.

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“Funding is always an issue and as we get busier more staff becomes a crucial necessity. At the moment we are in dire need of a veterinary nurse or an extra veterinarian, but lack of funding makes this impossible at this stage.”

No festive season would be complete without a wish list, and Lourens said there were a few needs at the veterinary hospital including the following:

• Towels, any size.
• Browse for our herbivores: mulberry, white stinkwood and karee leaves. We need a lot as a large number of our patients enjoy this as a food source. If people could deliver it it would be a great help.
• Fuel costs for our work vehicle, a 4×4 Toyota Hilux double cab named Stanley. He is our main transport when we release animals and he can go anywhere. For this job, he needs diesel and a lot of it. A sponsorship for fuel costs would go a long way in assisting us with our releases.
• We are upgrading our current cages and building a few new ones. If anyone can contribute towards this project we would be very grateful.
• Perhaps a few spoils for our staff and permanent volunteers. We work long hours, and the odd spa voucher helps a lot with our mental well-being.
  She concluded by thanking all loyal supporters of the hospital and gave a special mention to volunteer Grant Fairley.

“[Grant] volunteers his services as a reptile expert and assists us with the care of all our reptile patients. He does this at no charge and has become an integral part of our facility. We would like to thank him for his unwavering support and tireless dedication to our scaly patients,” she said.

“We would not be able to do what we do without their help. Whether from donations or even a kind comment on Facebook, our supporters carry us through the toughest times.”

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