Briner Veterinary Services

23/10/2024

I am so incredibly honoured to be the recipient of an owl award from BirdLife South Africa for contribution to bird conservation however this would never be possible without the relentless efforts of people on the ground including Kyle Lloyd, John Davies, Lindy Thompson, Fiona Fern, Gareth Tate, Kyle Walker, Nikita Rappo, Becky Lambert and many many others. Collaboration is key to the success of any conservation effort. It’s a privilege to work with incredible people in protecting some simply amazing species. Teamwork makes the dream work.

20/07/2024

It's time to find our next Post graduate skills development program candidate. Please send your CV to the email address provided on the poster for consideration. Note: only postgraduates with an animal related or nature conservation degree will be considered. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!🐍

07/02/2024

Veld fires can be devastating for the little guys. This poor leopard tortoise couldn’t escape from a fire. Burnadette’s injuries were extensive. She stole our hearts with her fight, however for welfare reasons we decided it was in her best interest to end her suffering and allowed her to sleep. Please be careful of fires and be on the look out for the little guys that get stuck in the crossfire. will help with any sick or injured indigenous reptiles. Please don’t hesitate to contact them on 0645167439.

12/01/2024

Sometimes doing a physical exam on the little things means getting creative. Bright lights in a dark room can be used to see the internal anatomy of geckos and check that all is in order. How cool is this!

30/12/2023

A little belated, but BVS was honoured to participate in Bird of Prey Conference in November presenting on treatment and management protocols for poisoned vultures. It was brilliant to connect with like-minded conservationists and learn about all the incredible work being done on different birds of prey around the country.

30/11/2023

It’s baby season! Whilst absolutely adorable, caring for babies requires expertise as so much can go wrong (e.g. aspiration, malnutrition, developmental issues). Whilst it’s exciting to rear, please please please leave this to the professionals. Accredited rehabilitation facilities have the expertise, tools and specialised diets required to make sure every little life has the best chance of growing old and making it back into the wild. If you find a baby, do the right thing and call your local veterinarian or rehab center for advice.

26/11/2023

Part 3 of Stevie the incredible white-backed vulture. Despite Stevie’s stoicism, his condition deteriorated with time. He was not coping with being in captivity and his compromised eyesight. Vulture populations are collapsing across the continent and every individual plays a vital role in ensuring the survival of vultures. However the impossible decision was made to let Stevie rest. Sadly, not all rehab stories have a happy ending but Stevie’s story will never be forgotten by all those who had the privilege of working with him and the fight to conserve this species will continue.

12/11/2023

Part 2. Several weeks after his rescue, Stevie, the incredible white-backed vulture, had already stolen our hearts with his cheeky behaviour and gusto for life. As an additional side-effect to being poisoned, Stevie had significant damage to his eyes; one was not salvageable and the fight to save his other from a deep ulcer continued. One eyed vultures have been documented to cope in the wild so if his ‘good’ eye could be saved we knew Stevie had a chance.

28/10/2023

It’s baby season! If you find a baby unattended by mom please don’t instantly intervene. Baby squirrels can fall out of their drey (nest). In such situations always try reunite mom and baby first. If this fails please do not try and raise it yourself. With inappropriate care and diet multiple different conditions can ensue. Rather get advice from your local rehab on the best steps forward and if rearing is necessary, allow the experts to do it. Then these little babies can end up back where they belong, in the wild!

06/10/2023

04/10/2023

With thanks to , another successful vulture training session was held this time in South Africa. Vulture poisonings are dramatically jeopardising vulture numbers and ensuring enough veterinarians are trained to be able to appropriately respond to poison events is key in encouraging successful treatments. It was a privilege to co-host this training session. Sharing knowledge is the only way to preserve the species we are all striving to protect.

17/09/2023

Monitoring anaesthesia is vitally important for any procedure. In reptiles, a doppler allows the ability to hear the animal’s heart during the entire procedure making it a brilliant tool. This snouted cobra had a short procedure, a ‘lumpectomy’, and how cool is it’s heart beat? Hoedspruit Reptile Centre

06/09/2023

This little vervet damaged his eye somehow during his adventures. Needing some extra love, medical care and food he was released again after a short stint in hospital and gladly rejoined his troop.

22/08/2023

The inadvertent consumption of metal by wildlife can result in a variety of serious health issues. This hook (and bait) was consumed by an unknowing marsh terrapin. Unfortunately, this required a delicate surgical procedure to extricate. The terrapin has since healed and been successfully released. Should you ever accidentally catch a terrapin please do not simply cut the fishing line, rather call a specialist such as who can assist and, if necessary, work with a qualified veterinarian to ensure the safe removal of the hook.

10/08/2023

Since fitting his tracking collar sponsored by , Dumpy, an African Wildcat, raised by has been released and is hopefully contributing to African wildcat numbers. He was first placed in a soft release enclosure to acclimatise to his new environment and has since been covering vast stretches of ground. His collar allows his progress to monitored and we are all very excited to watch his journey.

05/08/2023

Epic training day with .com_sa students and the other day. The world needs more reptile vets!

14/07/2023

So honoured to be a part of this incredible journey of recovery for these poisoned vultures.

14/07/2023

Had a great day teaching the next generation of veterinarians brought to SA by at about managing sick vultures.