Our horses have long warned us there could be crocodiles hiding in the puddles – and here’s the proof.
Meet Hunter, a stallion who was attacked by a crocodile as he went to drink from a river in Botswana, but who has made a full recovery thanks to volunteer vets, and the care of his owner.
In July, Wendy Furness and Michael Colgan from the UK joined charity the Maun Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) to deliver clinics in the remote Okavango Delta. This first organised veterinary outreach programme catered for animals from six isolated villages.
Wendy told H&H one of their equine patients was Hunter, who was grabbed by a crocodile as he went to drink.
“Crocs clamp down then drag and roll to drown their victims, so the horse was not only very lucky to escape but also to do so without a broken bone,” she said, adding that the crocodile did cause a significant hindleg wound.
“The owner had heard the vet team was in the area and met us at the side of the road; he was a lovely chap who clearly really cared for his horse. Hunter is a working animal used for cattle herding and transporting his owner as there is limited access to vehicle transport in the area. The cattle live alongside wildlife and it is not uncommon to see zebra with them too.”
(Image credit: Wendy Furness)
Wendy cleaned and debrided the wound. Some areas had healed over with pockets of pus underneath so she opened these to allow drainage, prescribed antibiotics and pain relief and gave the owner cleaning materials and advice on how to use them while the wound was healing.
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An update on the horse came last week; local MAWS volunteer Ansie, who had kept in touch with the owner, sent a photo to show he had made a full recovery.
Wendy emphasised how important the owner’s post-treatment care had been. “Especially as the Okavango Delta is such a challenging environment in which to manage this,” she said.
(Image credit: Maun Animal Welfare Society)
“It really shows how the owners value their animals, travelling a long way into the bush to ensure that they could get care when the opportunity presented and then diligently implementing any required ongoing care themselves in particularly tricky conditions. We were all delighted with the outcome – and for us as vets to see the difference our voluntary work makes to animals and their owners in these remote areas is fantastic.”
The vets treated more than 750 animals in their week of clinics including 82 horses and 94 donkeys; treatment varied from rabies jabs and parasite control to care of severe eye injuries.
The team also gave advice on equine care and welfare and took out as much tack as they could, so as many horse and donkey owners as possible could benefit. The work was supported by Animal Aid Abroad, Ark Impact and VetThing, which sponsored Wendy and Michael’s volunteer work and consumables.
Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
