Eland day!
30 November 2022
The team, Susan as Assistant and Lindy as Driver, leave the Thabazimbi Base at 06:00 to load Eland at Steenbokpan. The Military Road is a nightmare but we make it in one piece!
On our arrival at Dr. Johan Barkhuizen’s farm, the veterinarian for the day, we find the chopper is already in the air.
We find a cool spot and prepare the trailer for the day’s capture.
The chopper lands and Coena and Dr. Johan discuss the day’s proceedings with us…they will fill Coena’s trailer first.
By 07:45 the chopper is in the air again…we wait.
08:29 The first bull is loaded in Coena’s trailer’s front compartment. He is dipped and measured, woken up and the chopper is in the air again.
08:50 The Second bull is brought to the trailer, we repeat the process and he is loaded in the second compartment of Coena’s trailer.
09:30 The third, and the youngest bull is brought to us, he is loaded in the third compartment of Coena’s trailer.
According to our Vet for the day, Dr. Johan, there are no more bulls in the camp so they decide to dart 2 or 3 young females to fill up the trailer.
By 10:34 the crew brings 2 young females and loads them in the front compartment. The bulls were moved one by one to the 3 back compartments.
They too are dipped, measured, and woken up.
A quick inspection from Dr. Johan confirms that Bull number 1 jumped in the trailer and obtained a tongue-bite injury…he will be fine!
The MWSA team is informed that they will be transporting 2 heifers to the neighboring farm across the road…the team waits.
11:06 The 2 heifers are at the trailer, they are loaded in the front and second compartments of Deon’s trailer. Measured, dipped, and woken up, Oom Nico shows the team the way to his neighbour’s farm to offload the girls.
By 11:50, after a bit of poking and pinching the second (very sleepy) heifer was given a second wake-up booster and eventually…at her own pace… jumped out to greener pastures!
We thank all involved and leave the farm to return home at 13:10.