On Monday morning, the My Wildlife SA team left the Thabazimbi base to load 10 Springbuck and 1 Eland Bull…ready to travel with the animals over a distance of 450km !
All were excited as this capture had already been postponed due to the heavy rains we have been experiencing!
The team left Thabazimbi and took on the very flooded gravel roads towards Dwaalboom, Limpopo. After some scary and very entertaining driving skills from our excellent drivers, we arrived at our destination. We found one of our local Veterinarians busy helping a neighboring farmers’ dog, which was badly attacked by another dog. After cleaning the wound and putting in a few stitches, he moved on to prepare the darts for our Springbucks.
The animals were chemically sedated from a vehicle and brought to our game trailer, where they were loaded to be transported.
After loading 11 Springbuck, Stephanie and Susan left the farm and took on a different route to the second farm where the Eland Bull were to be captured. Taking the chance on a different road paid off as we saved a lot of time, and the road conditions were much better ! We decided then again to just always sticking to our own routes because we know the best routes by now to all our sellers. 💪🏼
After arriving on the second farm, we found the owner and veterinarian all prepared and ready for us !
Teamwork made it possible to quickly sedate the bull and after measuring him and giving the necessary medicines…and with a lot of 1,2,3…’s… everybody worked together to load the massive Eland Breeding Bull into our Game trailer.
After thanking everyone involved, the team left the farm and took on the long road…pushing for time to deliver the animals in daylight.
A very excited client was eagerly awaiting our arrival upon which we were spoiled with some savory and sweet snacks as well as a good cup of coffee !
We had one little escape artist who decided she wanted to explore the barrier between the 2 camps, but she was quickly apprehended and put back with her fellow Springbuck!
We pride ourselves on keeping both buyers and sellers up to date with our progress on the road and always give feedback to both parties…as well as our Vets. After delivering the precious cargo our video footage was send to all parties involved. This, we feel, allows everyone to experience the translocation of our animals from start to finish.
The team safely returned to Thabazimbi, Limpopo the following morning.
My Wildlife SA
Your Partner in Game
-Written by Susan
