Kariega rhino: UPDATE MONDAY 16 APRIL 2012
Jason reported this evening that he had a close sighting of THANDI on one of the open roads in the reserve this afternoon! He reports that she is still very skittish with vehicles close by, but all other signs are positive and she is looking good!
Thanks Jason!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Kariega Rhino update Sunday 15 April 2012
Kariega Rhino: UPDATE SUNDAY 15 APRIL 2012 18H15
Jason reports from the reserve that he has had a long range sighting of THANDI this afternoon!
She has moved about 1,5 KM to the South West overnight. She is grazing with other Rhino and appears that her general behavior is normal.
Thanks Jason for your dedication!
Jason reports from the reserve that he has had a long range sighting of THANDI this afternoon!
She has moved about 1,5 KM to the South West overnight. She is grazing with other Rhino and appears that her general behavior is normal.
Thanks Jason for your dedication!
Kariega Rhino update Saturday 14 April 2012
Kariega Rhino UPDATE SATURDAY 14 APRIL 2012 17H30
Jason has reported from the reserve that there are signs of THANDI moving in an area about 1km from the area where she was last sighted on Thursday, in dense thicket. The wind is very unfavorable at the moment but he will continue to try and make visual contact before dark if the conditions improve!
We will keep you posted!
Jason has reported from the reserve that there are signs of THANDI moving in an area about 1km from the area where she was last sighted on Thursday, in dense thicket. The wind is very unfavorable at the moment but he will continue to try and make visual contact before dark if the conditions improve!
We will keep you posted!
Kariega Rhino update Friday 13 April 2012
Kariega rhino: UPDATE FRIDAY 13 APRIL 2012 20H00
Jason reports that he has not been able to get a visual sighting of THANDI today, but all signs are there that she is moving in the same location that she was spotted yesterday with her companions!
We will keep you informed as soon as we get a clear sighting.
Thank you for all your support....it keeps the team inspired!!
Jason reports that he has not been able to get a visual sighting of THANDI today, but all signs are there that she is moving in the same location that she was spotted yesterday with her companions!
We will keep you informed as soon as we get a clear sighting.
Thank you for all your support....it keeps the team inspired!!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Kariega Rhino: Thandi during procedure
Surgical team, work on Thandi’s face during her hour long procedure. For more visuals see the video of day 33
Monday, April 2, 2012
Kariega Rhino update Monday 2 April 2012
Kariega Rhino: UPDATE MONDAY 1PM 2 April 2012
We received the following update from Dr.Fowlds
"The small tidal wave I suggested over the weekend appears to be pretty well established. Des from Tweeters reports an incredible amount of support for the wider campaign for rhino at the KKNK music festival taking place at Oudtshoorn. The story of Themba and Thandi is very much alive at this gathering and it's wonderful to see those passionate about our arts showing such passion for our rhino too. I have received some very moving stories of individuals who are inspired by these two animals to do push their circle of influence to do more for rhino.
News of Thandi over the weekend remains positive with several sightings of her with the other rhino confirming they are actively moving around the reserve and show no worrying behavioural signs. Today we once again finalise preparations for a procedure on her tomorrow. As always it feels like we are preparing for the most important event of our lives and like you would expect before a big match, the butterflies have started already. Thandi, has become such a national focus that for these procedures, key people are flying in from around the country to provide specialised input into her wellbeing. As her progress continues I expect this trend to continue. The pressure on the Kariega team doesn't get any less as we progress down the
road to her recovery.
What I am most nervous about for tomorrow is whether my decision to allow such a long gap in between these assessements has been justified or have we let her go too long. I am hoping to be able to confirm that this break from the inherent stresses of each immobilisation, have brought her measurable
physiological parameters back to normal without allowing her facial injuries to have deteriorated in the absence of our support. There is so much that could still go wrong around those damaged skull bones and sinus cavities that I keep praying that the miracle of her recovery so far, continues to surprise us at every milestone.
Off-site, the progress continues as we are in discussions daily with individuals, groups and foundations regarding the rhino campaign. From better security to more pressure on government and police, to greater awareness, support-raising events and international information platforms planned for the near future, it is quite obvious that the Kariega tragedy has generated a surge in energy that is swirling around us. As we do our best to ensure the eye of this storm remains as calm and tranquil as possible for Thandi to recover in, the power of what is all around her gathers momentum daily. Their story is generating so many opportunities to raise more awareness and get prominent people behind rhino, that I am finding these reports more and more difficult to get to. So please excuse me if the intervals get longer, its not because we are less busy, its because we are more passionate, more active and seeing more positive results than even Thandi is aware of.
In answer to many questions regarding the physical composition of rhino horn I would like to direct you to an article which Larry Witmer contributed to by T.L. Hieronymous et al (2006), and to whom our acknowledgements are extended. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmor.10465/abstract
To summarise, their horn is made of keratinised tubules of cells (horn tubules) within a keratinised (intertubular) matrix (see image 1 of cross section from above)
Rhino horns show a periodic banding pattern very similar to the growth patterns of tree trunks and in the case of the horns studied these lines showed intervals of about 6cm in the front horn which is very similar to studies of annual growth rate of the front horns of rhino. The reason for the colour banding pattern is linked to changes in concentrations of melanin and calcium phosphate salts within the intertubular matrix. Its hypothesised that the distribution of these two components in the horn contributes to the differential wear pattern of the horn leading to their characteristic sweeping conical shape. The higher concentrations of melanin for one, in the centre of the horn as well as the exposure of the outer layers to wear and tear appear to be factors of their unique shapes. (see image 2 &3 above)
Rhino horn grows off "modified skin" and resembles the microscopic structure of hooves, beaks and claws of many other animals. The rhinos horn may be an amazing structure to behold when you consider that it is simply a modification of the epidermis, we know its presence attached to rhino is what gives these magnificent creatures their unique iconic status. No other animal grows solid "horn" off a dome shaped piece of skin and its one of the many things that makes the rhino special. But there is nothing amazing about its chemical properties. Many studies have been conducted to try and demonstrate its magical properties, but there is no magic to be found in their horn. And herein lies the heart of this tragedy.
The magic lies in the rhino, whole and living, roaming free across the world's remaining natural landscapes, a symbol of what once existed, an anchor into our past natural heritage onto which we so desperately cling. While they are with us, we have hope of resisting mans downward spiral and maybe pulling ourselves back to our senses. Our fight to save the rhino is part of a very thin lifeline, a twisted rope between man and nature. The strength of the rhino, is exists in our appreciation of them, not our consumption of them and this strength give us hope. Without them, the lifeline will not hold and we are all doomed to the shameful abyss."
Structure of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) horn investigated by X-ray computed tomography a
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Hieronymus, T. L., Witmer, L. M. and Ridgely, R. C. (2006), Structure of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) horn investigated by X-ray computed tomography and histology with implications for growth and external form. J. Morphol., 267: 1172–1176. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10465..
We received the following update from Dr.Fowlds
"The small tidal wave I suggested over the weekend appears to be pretty well established. Des from Tweeters reports an incredible amount of support for the wider campaign for rhino at the KKNK music festival taking place at Oudtshoorn. The story of Themba and Thandi is very much alive at this gathering and it's wonderful to see those passionate about our arts showing such passion for our rhino too. I have received some very moving stories of individuals who are inspired by these two animals to do push their circle of influence to do more for rhino.
News of Thandi over the weekend remains positive with several sightings of her with the other rhino confirming they are actively moving around the reserve and show no worrying behavioural signs. Today we once again finalise preparations for a procedure on her tomorrow. As always it feels like we are preparing for the most important event of our lives and like you would expect before a big match, the butterflies have started already. Thandi, has become such a national focus that for these procedures, key people are flying in from around the country to provide specialised input into her wellbeing. As her progress continues I expect this trend to continue. The pressure on the Kariega team doesn't get any less as we progress down the
road to her recovery.
What I am most nervous about for tomorrow is whether my decision to allow such a long gap in between these assessements has been justified or have we let her go too long. I am hoping to be able to confirm that this break from the inherent stresses of each immobilisation, have brought her measurable
physiological parameters back to normal without allowing her facial injuries to have deteriorated in the absence of our support. There is so much that could still go wrong around those damaged skull bones and sinus cavities that I keep praying that the miracle of her recovery so far, continues to surprise us at every milestone.
Off-site, the progress continues as we are in discussions daily with individuals, groups and foundations regarding the rhino campaign. From better security to more pressure on government and police, to greater awareness, support-raising events and international information platforms planned for the near future, it is quite obvious that the Kariega tragedy has generated a surge in energy that is swirling around us. As we do our best to ensure the eye of this storm remains as calm and tranquil as possible for Thandi to recover in, the power of what is all around her gathers momentum daily. Their story is generating so many opportunities to raise more awareness and get prominent people behind rhino, that I am finding these reports more and more difficult to get to. So please excuse me if the intervals get longer, its not because we are less busy, its because we are more passionate, more active and seeing more positive results than even Thandi is aware of.
In answer to many questions regarding the physical composition of rhino horn I would like to direct you to an article which Larry Witmer contributed to by T.L. Hieronymous et al (2006), and to whom our acknowledgements are extended. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmor.10465/abstract
To summarise, their horn is made of keratinised tubules of cells (horn tubules) within a keratinised (intertubular) matrix (see image 1 of cross section from above)
Rhino horns show a periodic banding pattern very similar to the growth patterns of tree trunks and in the case of the horns studied these lines showed intervals of about 6cm in the front horn which is very similar to studies of annual growth rate of the front horns of rhino. The reason for the colour banding pattern is linked to changes in concentrations of melanin and calcium phosphate salts within the intertubular matrix. Its hypothesised that the distribution of these two components in the horn contributes to the differential wear pattern of the horn leading to their characteristic sweeping conical shape. The higher concentrations of melanin for one, in the centre of the horn as well as the exposure of the outer layers to wear and tear appear to be factors of their unique shapes. (see image 2 &3 above)
Rhino horn grows off "modified skin" and resembles the microscopic structure of hooves, beaks and claws of many other animals. The rhinos horn may be an amazing structure to behold when you consider that it is simply a modification of the epidermis, we know its presence attached to rhino is what gives these magnificent creatures their unique iconic status. No other animal grows solid "horn" off a dome shaped piece of skin and its one of the many things that makes the rhino special. But there is nothing amazing about its chemical properties. Many studies have been conducted to try and demonstrate its magical properties, but there is no magic to be found in their horn. And herein lies the heart of this tragedy.
The magic lies in the rhino, whole and living, roaming free across the world's remaining natural landscapes, a symbol of what once existed, an anchor into our past natural heritage onto which we so desperately cling. While they are with us, we have hope of resisting mans downward spiral and maybe pulling ourselves back to our senses. Our fight to save the rhino is part of a very thin lifeline, a twisted rope between man and nature. The strength of the rhino, is exists in our appreciation of them, not our consumption of them and this strength give us hope. Without them, the lifeline will not hold and we are all doomed to the shameful abyss."
Structure of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) horn investigated by X-ray computed tomography a
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Hieronymus, T. L., Witmer, L. M. and Ridgely, R. C. (2006), Structure of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) horn investigated by X-ray computed tomography and histology with implications for growth and external form. J. Morphol., 267: 1172–1176. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10465..
Kariega Rhino Update Saturday 31 March 2012
Kariega Rhino: UPDATE SATURDAY 31 MARCH 2012 09H00
Dr Fowls sent us the following. This was written last night after his day in the field: Thank you Dr Fowlds.
"Today I spent a wonderful hour “walking with dinosaurs”, well crawling actually. I needed to confirm for myself the status of Thandi’s face and in particular her exposed sinuses, which the monitoring team have been reporting on so diligently. Mike pho...ned to say she was with the others in a fairly good area amongst patchy bush so I rushed down there and after 45 minutes of tense manoeuvring I stood a short distance from these magnificent beasts.
What a privilege it is to be a part of their world even for a brief moment, my heart pounding as the adrenalin of this thrilling moment pumped life into every artery. Breathtaking moments to cherish and motivate even the most weathered soul.
To see Thandi up close again, to hear her breathe and make her quiet huffs and mews as she interacted with the other rhino, was simply breathtaking. I had to fight down the swells of emotion that pushed up from within, tossing my feelings between peaks of delight and troughs of shame. By rights, human and animal, there should be so much to savour in moments like these. Undetected, in a space of rare privilege, I crouched in the presence of these giants. For a long while, as I waited for Thandi to stand up, I considered this predicament. A servant keeper, sent to that place by the concern of ten thousand or more to report on the progress of just one of the most magnificent creatures alive on this planet. The joy of the moment could have been there for the taking but the reason for being there denied all that. One day I shall return.
Her body condition is holding well, and she is moving well, apparently eating well and showing some signs of psychological recovery in that she is slowly, very slowly, increasing her amount of normal behaviour. We actually don’t know what she must feel inside, we can only wonder. She does have some signs that her facial wounds worry her. She has been doing quite a bit of rubbing on both sides of her head as well as the front part of her face above her lip. This is evident in the red soil marks over these areas. I am not sure if this is her response to the pain, the “itch” of healing or the irritation of infection. Her exposed sinuses have accumulated a lot of debris to the point now that they are almost completely occluded. She has a small trickle of milky mucous running from both sinuses with the left side looking slightly whiter which could indicate some infection now in there. It doesn’t appear to be severe enough to justify an immediate treatment so we have scheduled her immobilisation for 4 days time. The skin all around her gaping holes appears to be granulating well but it is impossible to assess the state of her bone tissues under all that debris and scab-like tissue build up.
I was hoping to be able to confirm that her right eye, which had a small corneal injury still present at day 14, had healed up but I was not able to do that today so this will have to wait for a closer inspection. Her vision appears to be normal so we are hoping for a good report here. Themba’s eye injury never healed up during his struggle so this is an area of concern for survivors. Their eyes are either traumatised from rubbing on vegetation while they lie and struggle or, need I say it, in some cases the poachers actually hack at their eyes with pangas, we presume to blind them and make it more difficult for them to get away. The other callous act which is driven by the same motive, is that they chop off their ankle tendons and hack at their spines so that they cannot run away. No human!
We received some additional blood results back which, Prof Reyers suggested we investigate. The hope is build confidence in other reliable indicators of the status of muscle trauma in cases like these. This enzyme, LDH, was still 8 times higher than the normal range for Themba on day 23. On day 10 Thandi still had LDH levels which were four times the top end of the normal range and in her case very little liver damage to speak of. As more information like this comes through, and with the help of Prof Reyers, we start making sense of these findings and looking out for indications of problems.
Certainly, on the value of these tests, Thandi appears to have suffered more damage to muscle than what she was letting on. Her next blood tests will hopefully confirm good recovery in this area. In relation to Thandi, and future survivors, being able to run every possible test we think could provide relevant information during their recovery stages, will greatly improve our level of understanding.
These tests are expensive and amount to a substantial amount when added up over time. IDEXX, the lab we have been using, have been as moved as we all are by their story and have committed full lab support for Themba and Thandi as well as covering their costs.
This is yet another inspiring example of how people and companies are getting behind this fight by giving freely whatever they can, because so many really, really care. Apart from the many generous donations which have off-set some of the veterinary costs, we have had donations in expertise and hands-on assistance from many areas. To name but a few to emphasise the point, Prof Reyers in clinical pathology, Paul Mills in recording so much of this in broadcast quality footage, Grant Soule and Warne Rippon for helicopter support whenever we needed it, many Kariega volunteers as well as a growing team of specialist surgeons in Dr’s Steenkamp, Marias and Lamont. From afar Larry Witmer and his team from Ohio who have been funnelling in some amazing images to help our understanding of the anatomical damage using CT scan data and hi-tech imaging, and the list grows almost daily.
People in press and media, conservationists like Braam Malherbe, poets, sculpters, NGO’s and rhino activists all pouring passionate commitment into this process. Then there are the comments and messages constantly pouring into the Kariega facebook and twitter portals reminding us how much you all care. You have no idea how uplifting this all is for those of us that are at the coal face of this battle. Some days I don’t know how to even begin to start as I sit down to write the next update. My heart is battered and I feel completely drained by human savagery and animal agony.
Then I start to read your comments and one after the other, without one single exception, your adoration for these rhino and your admiration for that whole human effort that we refer to as the Kariega team, because it is, starts to pick me up and carry me on. I know that every single one of the team feel the same way. It is energising and inspirational. I hear of folks who had grown weary and despondent after years in the trenches who now are rejuvenated by your actions and kind words. Suddenly, there is a new wave of enthusiasm out there as their screams of anger and frustration which went out unanswered into a dark world, come bouncing back amplified now by the swelling ranks of determination shouting “WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH”.
I have students, teachers and school kids coming up with their own special ways of adding momentum to this growing wave of desire to declare what is unacceptable and actively change the current tragic status of rhino.
I am currently a witness to a phenomenon which is building all around us, growing daily from a swell to a small tidal wave but with the potential to become a tsunami. As we each do out our small bit each day, one step in front of the other, we feed off passion of those on either side of us carrying each other forward. Oh wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could flood this story into every aspect of society, opening the world’s eyes to this tragedy, changing the hearts of all humanity to appreciate and desire to always have the privilege and the opportunity of spending time at the feet of these giants. Because its at places like this, that we find food for our souls. What price, what value can we place on this? How much are we prepared to give of ourselves to save this for our own sakes and those who we love?"
Dr Fowls sent us the following. This was written last night after his day in the field: Thank you Dr Fowlds.
"Today I spent a wonderful hour “walking with dinosaurs”, well crawling actually. I needed to confirm for myself the status of Thandi’s face and in particular her exposed sinuses, which the monitoring team have been reporting on so diligently. Mike pho...ned to say she was with the others in a fairly good area amongst patchy bush so I rushed down there and after 45 minutes of tense manoeuvring I stood a short distance from these magnificent beasts.
What a privilege it is to be a part of their world even for a brief moment, my heart pounding as the adrenalin of this thrilling moment pumped life into every artery. Breathtaking moments to cherish and motivate even the most weathered soul.
To see Thandi up close again, to hear her breathe and make her quiet huffs and mews as she interacted with the other rhino, was simply breathtaking. I had to fight down the swells of emotion that pushed up from within, tossing my feelings between peaks of delight and troughs of shame. By rights, human and animal, there should be so much to savour in moments like these. Undetected, in a space of rare privilege, I crouched in the presence of these giants. For a long while, as I waited for Thandi to stand up, I considered this predicament. A servant keeper, sent to that place by the concern of ten thousand or more to report on the progress of just one of the most magnificent creatures alive on this planet. The joy of the moment could have been there for the taking but the reason for being there denied all that. One day I shall return.
Her body condition is holding well, and she is moving well, apparently eating well and showing some signs of psychological recovery in that she is slowly, very slowly, increasing her amount of normal behaviour. We actually don’t know what she must feel inside, we can only wonder. She does have some signs that her facial wounds worry her. She has been doing quite a bit of rubbing on both sides of her head as well as the front part of her face above her lip. This is evident in the red soil marks over these areas. I am not sure if this is her response to the pain, the “itch” of healing or the irritation of infection. Her exposed sinuses have accumulated a lot of debris to the point now that they are almost completely occluded. She has a small trickle of milky mucous running from both sinuses with the left side looking slightly whiter which could indicate some infection now in there. It doesn’t appear to be severe enough to justify an immediate treatment so we have scheduled her immobilisation for 4 days time. The skin all around her gaping holes appears to be granulating well but it is impossible to assess the state of her bone tissues under all that debris and scab-like tissue build up.
I was hoping to be able to confirm that her right eye, which had a small corneal injury still present at day 14, had healed up but I was not able to do that today so this will have to wait for a closer inspection. Her vision appears to be normal so we are hoping for a good report here. Themba’s eye injury never healed up during his struggle so this is an area of concern for survivors. Their eyes are either traumatised from rubbing on vegetation while they lie and struggle or, need I say it, in some cases the poachers actually hack at their eyes with pangas, we presume to blind them and make it more difficult for them to get away. The other callous act which is driven by the same motive, is that they chop off their ankle tendons and hack at their spines so that they cannot run away. No human!
We received some additional blood results back which, Prof Reyers suggested we investigate. The hope is build confidence in other reliable indicators of the status of muscle trauma in cases like these. This enzyme, LDH, was still 8 times higher than the normal range for Themba on day 23. On day 10 Thandi still had LDH levels which were four times the top end of the normal range and in her case very little liver damage to speak of. As more information like this comes through, and with the help of Prof Reyers, we start making sense of these findings and looking out for indications of problems.
Certainly, on the value of these tests, Thandi appears to have suffered more damage to muscle than what she was letting on. Her next blood tests will hopefully confirm good recovery in this area. In relation to Thandi, and future survivors, being able to run every possible test we think could provide relevant information during their recovery stages, will greatly improve our level of understanding.
These tests are expensive and amount to a substantial amount when added up over time. IDEXX, the lab we have been using, have been as moved as we all are by their story and have committed full lab support for Themba and Thandi as well as covering their costs.
This is yet another inspiring example of how people and companies are getting behind this fight by giving freely whatever they can, because so many really, really care. Apart from the many generous donations which have off-set some of the veterinary costs, we have had donations in expertise and hands-on assistance from many areas. To name but a few to emphasise the point, Prof Reyers in clinical pathology, Paul Mills in recording so much of this in broadcast quality footage, Grant Soule and Warne Rippon for helicopter support whenever we needed it, many Kariega volunteers as well as a growing team of specialist surgeons in Dr’s Steenkamp, Marias and Lamont. From afar Larry Witmer and his team from Ohio who have been funnelling in some amazing images to help our understanding of the anatomical damage using CT scan data and hi-tech imaging, and the list grows almost daily.
People in press and media, conservationists like Braam Malherbe, poets, sculpters, NGO’s and rhino activists all pouring passionate commitment into this process. Then there are the comments and messages constantly pouring into the Kariega facebook and twitter portals reminding us how much you all care. You have no idea how uplifting this all is for those of us that are at the coal face of this battle. Some days I don’t know how to even begin to start as I sit down to write the next update. My heart is battered and I feel completely drained by human savagery and animal agony.
Then I start to read your comments and one after the other, without one single exception, your adoration for these rhino and your admiration for that whole human effort that we refer to as the Kariega team, because it is, starts to pick me up and carry me on. I know that every single one of the team feel the same way. It is energising and inspirational. I hear of folks who had grown weary and despondent after years in the trenches who now are rejuvenated by your actions and kind words. Suddenly, there is a new wave of enthusiasm out there as their screams of anger and frustration which went out unanswered into a dark world, come bouncing back amplified now by the swelling ranks of determination shouting “WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH”.
I have students, teachers and school kids coming up with their own special ways of adding momentum to this growing wave of desire to declare what is unacceptable and actively change the current tragic status of rhino.
I am currently a witness to a phenomenon which is building all around us, growing daily from a swell to a small tidal wave but with the potential to become a tsunami. As we each do out our small bit each day, one step in front of the other, we feed off passion of those on either side of us carrying each other forward. Oh wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could flood this story into every aspect of society, opening the world’s eyes to this tragedy, changing the hearts of all humanity to appreciate and desire to always have the privilege and the opportunity of spending time at the feet of these giants. Because its at places like this, that we find food for our souls. What price, what value can we place on this? How much are we prepared to give of ourselves to save this for our own sakes and those who we love?"
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