Meet Dr Vanessa Duthé from Black Rhino Conservation Ecology Project. Vanessa's research plays a vital role in understanding rhino behaviour and the conservation of the species. Rhino conservation efforts have come a long way, and tracking devices like horn pods are one of the innovative tools helping to ensure their survival. These devices, adapted for dehorned rhinos, are fitted during dehorning operations, providing crucial data on their behavior, health, and habitat use. Be part of the solution – get your Relate Bracelet today and help save rhinos! 🦏 #SaveTheRhino #ConservationMatters #WorldRhinoDay
Wildlife vets play a key role in rhino conservation. A few of the operations we support include translocations, dehorning, and rescuing rhino orphans. World Rhino Day is just around the corner (22nd Sept). Show your support for rhino conservation. 🦏🌿Be the change – get your Relate Bracelet today and support our rhino-saving efforts! 🦏 #ProtectRhinos #SupportWildlife
Elephant Collaring
African Wildlife Vets supported ezemvelokznwildlife and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park with collaring 13 elephants within the Eastern and Western Shores and uMkhuze Game Reserve.
Pilot and uMkhuze Game Reserve Manager, Eduard Goosen, dedicated hours in the Foxbat plane, diligently spotting elephants and ensuring cost efficiency. His efforts allowed helicopter pilot Orton Bosman and the veterinary team, Dr Rowan Leeming and Dr Jen Lawrence, to respond immediately once an elephant was located, significantly reducing helicopter flight time.
Thanks to the generous support from Vehicle Motor Spares Direct and Conservation Beyond Borders, we were able to fund 9 hours of helicopter time and the necessary pharmaceuticals for this operation.
Dr Jen Lawrence sponsored by XContent (Pty) Ltd
World Rhino Day Campaign 🦏
Rhinos are endangered and face many challenges such as poaching for rhino horn, habitat loss and habitat fragmentation. As we approach World Rhino Day, Black Rhino Conservation Ecology Project along with African Wildlife Vets and Relate Bracelets are teaming up to raise awareness for rhinos.
By combining research and veterinary efforts, we’re contributing to rhino conservation and management. #worldrhinoday #rhinoconservation
Dr Jen Lawrence alongside Dr Zaid Mohamedy, recently responded to a bush pig that was stuck in a snare in St. Lucia. Dr Jen successfully removed the snare and no serious damage was done. #snareremoval #wildlifeconservation
Behind the scenes
We were thrilled to hear your enthusiastic ‘YES’ to more behind-the-scenes content from this project! Get ready to dive deeper into the incredible work we’re supporting to protect rhinos🦏✨ Stay tuned for more updates!#RhinoConservation #WildlifeProtection #BehindTheScenes
Highlighting our incredible conservation partnership with Conservation Beyond Borders! 🦒🌿Thanks to their collaborative sponsorship, having a full-time veterinarian on the ground has been a game-changer. The impact on our conservation efforts has been immense, and we’re extremely grateful for their support in protecting our wildlife and preserving our natural heritage. Together, we’re making a difference! 🌟#Conservation #WildlifeProtection #Partnership #ConservationBeyondBorders #VeterinarySupport #WildlifeConservation #NatureLovers
🌿🐾Rhino Dehorning Operation at Manyeleti Game Reserve 🐾🌿
We are thrilled to share the successful completion of a recent rhino dehorning operation at Manyeleti Game Reserve! African Wildlife Vets had the honour of assisting the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (@mpumalangatourism) in this vital conservation effort.
Dr Chris Smith (@chrissmithsa92) expertly ensured the safe immobilisation of two white rhino cows and their two calves, allowing the team to perform the dehorning with utmost care. Our heartfelt thanks to Jana Meyer from Hope for Wildlife Helicopter Service (@hope_for_wildlife_helicopter) for her incredible piloting skills during the operation.
A shoutout to the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation (@thegkepf ) for providing aerial support with a fixed wing plane to help locate the rhinos. We extend our deepest gratitude to Resilea, @rodel_finance, and @blanketsforbabyrhinos for their indispensable contributions. This operation couldn’t have happened without your support!
Additionally, we thank Friends of Wildlife Management (@friends_of_wildlife ) for their ongoing support of the MTPA.
Together, we are making a difference for the future of our rhinos.
#AfricanWildlifeVets #RhinoConservation #ManyeletiGameReserve #HopeForWildlife
#GKEPF #RhinoDehorning #SaveTheRhinos #WildlifeProtection #TeamWork #ConservationHeroes
African Wildlife Vets assisted with the translocation of 4 leopards to northern Kruger recently. The leopards were initially caught on livestock farms and had been deemed 'problem causing animals.'
African Wildlife Vets, supported by Blankets for Baby Rhinos, ensured the veterinary care and wellbeing of the leopards throughout the operation.
Contemplate Wild generously sponsored tracking collars and will assist in monitoring these leopards in their new habitat.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved for your unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation.
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency Friends Of Wildlife Management
Dr Joel Alves attends to a snared zebra
During a snare patrol flight at Letaba Ranch, Dr Joel Alves (@the_conservation_vet ) came across a zebra that was limping badly. 🦓
Upon closer inspection, he discovered a deeply embedded, long-term cable snare. It was quite the process to remove it, but fortunately, he managed, and the zebra should now be a lot more comfortable and pain-free.
Wild Wonderful World kindly sponsored the patrol flight.
down2the_wire and African Wildlife Vets covered the veterinary component of the operation.
A huge thank you to Blankets for Baby Rhinos for keeping our emergency fund topped-up, enabling us to respond to operations like this.
AWV 7 YEAR BIRTHDAY 🥳
AFRICAN WILDLIFE VETS is 7 years old. Happy Birthday to us! 🥳
From our first project in 2017, relocating two lionesses with Dr. Joel Alves, to participating in one of the largest dehorning operations ever, African Wildlife Vets has made significant strides in conservation. We are incredibly proud of our journey and the positive impact we’ve had on wildlife preservation. Our dedicated team may be small, but our reach and effectiveness continue to grow.
African Wildlife Vets relies solely on donations to operate, and we could not achieve what we do without YOU—our generous donors and supporters. THANK YOU for your vital contributions to protecting and saving our wildlife.
In celebration of our 7th birthday, we are inviting you to give a special gift this year ... in the form of donations to our Rhino Fund. Every contribution helps us rescue rhino orphans, treat injuries, relocate, and dehorn rhinos. Together, we can make a significant difference in their survival and well-being!
https://www.givengain.com/campaign/awvrhinofund
Dr Jen Lawrence assisted the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife management team at uMkhuze Game Reserve remove two snares off two wild dogs recently.
Dr Jen Lawrence assisted the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife management team at uMkhuze Game Reserve remove two snares off two wild dogs recently. The ecological and monitoring team monitor the pack intensely. They called for veterinary assistance as soon as they noted the snares. After several days of effort, during which the wild dogs refused to respond to call-ups or come to the bait, a darting opportunity finally presented itself. Thankfully, with great perseverance, both wild dogs were eventually darted and had their snares removed.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributes to our emergency fund.
Dr Jen Lawrence collaboratively sponsored by Conservation Beyond Borders
In collaboration with:
@ezemvelokznwildlife | @conservation_beyond_borders | @wild_connection_vet | @blanketsforbabyrhinos
Cheetah Collar 🐆
Dr Jen Lawrence assisted Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in the uMkhuze section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park collar a cheetah male recently.
A huge thank you to Makakatana Bay Lodge - South Africa for enabling us to purchase this collar. Your generosity will enable the uMkhuze monitoring team to track his movement and assess his condition – ensuring he has not been ensnared or left the boundary of the reserve.
This video was taken from a camera trap which is another method of monitoring and getting visuals of priority species.
Dr Jen Lawrence collaboratively sponsored by African Wildlife Vets and Conservation Beyond Borders
Trimming a Horn to Save a Life: A Collaborative Effort to Protect Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park’s Rhinos 🦏
As an African Wildlife Vets team, we feel an incredible sense of pride and privilege to have been able to provide veterinary support to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the WWF during their collaborative dehorning operation in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park. With three helicopters in the sky and four veterinarians permanently on the operation – Dr Rowan Leeming (EKZNW head veterinarian and AWV Director), Dr Jen Lawrence (AWV), Dr Max Krings
(AWV), and Dr Zaid Mohomedy – along with several others, including Dr Dave Cooper (AWV), Dr Joel Alves, Dr
Ben Muller, Dr Jacques Flamand (WWF), and Dr Gabor Lukacs lending a helping hand, and a highly efficient EKZNW game capture team accompanied by researchers, scribes, and other dedicated conservationists, this ongoing operation has been a phenomenal success.
The expertise and skill demonstrated in executing an operation of this magnitude are highly commendable. There are several working parts to this operation that go beyond the physical dehorning aspect. We’d like to acknowledge and commend EKZNW for their professionalism in undertaking this massive task. That said, this operation would not have been possible without strategic and financial support from WWF.
Together, we’re making significant strides in ensuring the conservation of rhinos.
In collaboration with:
@ezemvelokznwildlife | @wwfsouthafrica | @blackrhino_ecology | @vanessaduthe | @bejvanheerden | @wildlife_act | @rowanleeming | @wild_connection_vet | @maximilian_._22 | @mahomedy13 | @the_conservation_vet | @ben10_muller | @gabor.lukacs.5249 | @jacques_flamand | @stihlsa | @conservation_beyond_borders | @f10southafrica | @katie_inthewild | @meagan.delange | @kelseyleeming | @marion_.fischer | @live.life.wildly | @jason.s.fischer.1 | @ortonbosman | @etiennegerber | @piet.pilot | @heligistix
Dr Max Krings assisted Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) collar a lioness in Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park recently. He described the operation as follows: "Fortunately we quickly managed to locate the lioness with her two subadult male cubs. We then proceeded to set up a bait and waited. After a short while the two subadult males came to feed on the bait, but unfortunately the lioness showed no interest. The team decided that I should use my vehicle to approach her where she was resting. Once close enough I took aim with the dart gun, firing a dart into her shoulder.
The team and I watched anxiously as the drugs took effect, slowly immobilizing her. With the lioness safely sedated, we quickly replaced the faulty collar with a new one. To ensure her safety, I closely monitored her vital signs while we worked on her. After we finished, we gave her the reversal agents to counteract the immobilizing drugs, and she slowly regained consciousness. She stood up, shook herself, and padded away, reuniting with her two cubs. Her new collar is working fine and transmitting her location once again."
The lioness will continue to be monitored by EKZNW, Wildlife ACT and CNRS.
Collar donated by CNRS as part of their predator-prey interactions research.
Join Dr Jen as she removes a snare from a wild dog!
Dr Jen Lawrence recently responded to a wild dog that had a snare around her neck in the uMkhuze section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. After an initial attempt to call up the pack was unsuccessful, the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and African Wildlife Vets team tried again early the next morning. The wild dogs quickly responded, and Jen was able to safely dart the female. Upon further inspection, it was a relief to find that the snare had not cut deeply into the skin and the snare was successfully removed.
Dr Jen Lawrence collaboratively sponsored by AWV & Conservation Beyond Borders.
