When Babies get hurt….

In the field…in the Mobile Vet Unit

So Thursday was spent setting up the lab.  I was preparing for my hartebeest project. It felt good, and like old times, to be in the lab.  Tim, Mathenge, and I went to the field to collect samples.  It took us about 2 hours to find the Hartebeests.  They are remarkably well camouflaged, as are most of the species here.  We were only able to collect 1 fecal sample, but it was a start.  Whilst we were finishing up in the field, so much commotion started on the walkie-talkie system.  So many people were talking.  I kept catching some words.  I figured out that Elvis (the rhino in the hut) had attacked the 3 orphan rhino babies that I have gone to see two times.

Jackal I saw on the way to see the baby rhinos

There was no hesitation in my voice when I said “Yes” when Mathenge asked if I wanted to go and look at the babies. Mutinda was at a meeting in Nanyuki, so I suddenly became the “vet” on site.  We left the field and rushed over to where the attack happened.

I was expecting one or two other vehicles at the scene, but there were 6 or so vehicles, and so many people looking concerned.  It reminded me of people around a car accident, waiting for help to arrive.  It dawned on me that they were waiting for me, the “vet”. The heads of Lewa, rangers, and others surrounded Kilifi.  The other 2 orphans had been led back to their safe nighttime enclosure.  I saw the Mike (CEO of Lewa) and Sarah (his wife) look up, and the look of utter concern on their face hit me head on. 

 

Kilifi's left side, note the bruising

Right, I need a history of what happened.  I found out that Kilifi had been hit and tossed numerous by the adult Elvis.  He had been unable to get up for a while after the attack, but had just risen.  He had shown signs of shock, shaking, increased respiratory patterns, and stupor.  He remained reluctant to walk. 

I began to think about what I would want to do for Kilifi.  Pain meds were on my mind, but what anti-inflammatories does the Vet Mobile Unit have on it.  I didn’t want a steroid, I wanted a non steroidal for this baby.  The next thing I know, someone who was currently on the phone with Mutinda, said to me,  “20ml Flunixin”.  Perfect.  So I start sifting through the drug box, trying to find the Flunixin.  Found the bottle….10 mls left.  Well that will have to do for now.  Next thing I know, another message from Mutinda says give Betamox (antibiotic).  Nope, can’t, our bottle is empty.  Next message, Norodine (antibiotic).  Right, we have that. 

I head towards Kilifi with the Flunixin.  He is standing, wobbly and a bit out of it.  I stick the needle into his muscle, and slowly inject the Flunixin.  He resents me a bit, but nothing horrible.  Right, his keepers want to get him to his enclosure before the sun set, which was already on it's way.   So we make our way to their enclosure.  I get a look at the other 2 orphans, Nicky (the blind older one).  He looks a bit beat up, walking stiffly, and not wanting to put weight on his back right.  He is once again protecting Hope (the middle aged orphan).  I think he needs an anti-inflammatory, but he is going to be difficult to inject because all of the orphans are agitated, and we are out of the drug.  I think to myself that I will look at him early in the morning and make a decision. 

Back to Kilifi, I place the needle in his muscle again to give him the antibiotics, and he screams, bolts, and panics.  Immediately, the other 2 went on guard, screaming and running towards us.  We remove the needle and call it a night without administering the antibiotics.  It is not worth getting bulled over by 3 baby rhino.  Babies ranging from 150kg to 400kg. 

Sunrise - Epically stunning

Friday morning, I woke up at 530am to see the rhinos again.  I had spoken to Mutinda the night before about what possible treatments I would give Friday morning.  I wanted to be there for the first bottle of the morning, when the rhino were still sleepy, cold, and really hungry.  I must say that I did have Mathenge stop the truck just so I fully witness the sunrise.  How stunning.  The mix of colors.  Breathtaking.  I once again felt so small, but so utterly important.  It really is a confounding feeling.

Kilifi was feeling better, but still sore.  I administered the remaining part of his anti-inflammatory drug.  Nicky was still moving slowly and was sore.  He had had difficulty lying down. I weighed the pros and cons.  I opted to wait on giving him drugs to see how he fared through the day. 

Sunrise after visiting Kilifi the first morning after the attack

Since Mutinda was at a meeting in Nanyuki, Brono, a vet from neighboring Meru came to evaluate the rhino.  I was out in the field (see below) when he arrived, but we communicated our findings over the phone whilst I sat in the field looking at my Hartebeests.  I was so grateful for his help, as rhino medicine is quite new to me.  He agreed to continue the anti-inflammatory on Kilifi for a few more days and to hold off on giving the antibiotic.  We also agreed that we did not want to have to sedate Nicky to be able to give him an anti-inflammatory.  We both decided to wait and see how he did overnight, but I would reevaluate him in the morning with a possible injection of anti-inflammatory.  I asked if he thought that it would be possible to give the injection.  His exact response was  “You will encounter resistance though.”

Nicky, after the attack. Nothing visible except abrasions on his skin. 

This phrase made me chuckle.  We knew that resistance was going to be a factor, hence why we held off on giving the medication before.  We didn’t want to have to sedate him to give him the drug.  However, in the morning (when the rhino are cold, sleepy, and hungry) we might have a chance.  I thought about how I wanted to approach the situation in the morning.  Yes, do Nicky first whilst he was on his bottle.  Then do the easier, but still incredibly strong, Kilifi. 

So this morning, once again, I was off before sunrise.  I arrived and took a brief history on how Nicky had been doing.  I decided that he did need some pain control.  I talked with Sarah and we agreed that we should inject Nicky first, then Kilifi.  Sarah is  experienced in rhinos.  I told Sarah that rhino behavior is not my forte, and I will keep going until she tells me to stop.  She tells me that I will know when to get out.  We shared a chuckle.

Nicky's back

Directions for the feeding protocol were divvied up between the guards.  Sarah delegated who was going to feed who, how quickly they were going to let the babies nurse (to ensure that Kilifi still had milk when I went to inject him), where we were going to stand, and what I was doing.  We all spread out in the enclosure and I waited for Sarah to give me the ok.  Nicky took to his bottle and I swiftly inserted a needle in his gluteal muscle, ready the whole time to jump back and bolt.  He had no reaction.  I then went to inject the drug.  I injected steadily over about 10 seconds.  No reaction.  I pulled the needle out and stepped back.  I looked up at Sarah and smiled.  Well that was easy.  Now to Kilifi.  The procedure went exactly the same way.  I was done in a total time of 2 minutes.  We then stood back.  I looked at Mike and Sarah and said, “Well that went well”.  We had all been expecting a fight and we were all very relieved that our morning was not started with a fight.

I went to check on the babies at noon today, just to see how things were going.  So I went out with Sumbere (since Mathenge is off this weekend) to the babies.  The babies had been taken out of the enclosure for a short walk and to graze.  They were still fairly close to their enclosure.  On a normal day, they are out from Sunrise to sunset grazing in the fields with guards.  

Nicky has had a marked improvement.  He wallowed in the mud, wallowing a good judge of how rhinos are feeling; if rhinos feel poorly, they tend not to wallow.  He still has some very sore areas, but I will repeat his dose of anti-inflammatory tomorrow morning.  Kilifi is doing well also.  He had wallowed in the mud as well.  I spent about 10 minutes auscultating his chest.  There was a concern in the morning, and it took me a bit to find where Mutinda kept the stethoscope (locked away in a non obvious box).  It was so cool.  I kept looking around thinking, “I am in Africa, in the bush, with stethoscopes, listening to the breathing of a rhino.”  I also auscultated Hope; the uninjured baby to get a sense of what is normal to hear in a rhino.  Hope was not injured because Nicky protected her.  I called Brono whilst with the babies just to give an update.  We are both pleased with their progress. 

I will head out tomorrow morning to see the babies again to repeat their doses of dawa (medication).  I hope everything goes as smoothly as it did today. 

Territorial Male Hartebeest

And on a further note about my field work yesterday….

So yesterday I went out to the field to find my 11 Hartebeests.  We found them quite quickly, about 30 minutes from camp.  When we arrived all but one was on the ground sleeping.  Over the next 20 minutes, we crept as close as we could from them without startling them.  We ended up being able to be about 20 meters from them, so much closer than I could have imagined with this flighty species.  I then attempted to document all the different individuals in the herd; I achieved 9 out of 11.  We then patiently waited for them to arise, knowing that they would defecate once they stood up. 

Within 5 minutes of them standing up, all of them had defecated.  I was snapping photos, scribbling data down (i.e. time, location photo, id photo, etc.) They slowly walked off to another location, and we went to work.  I must say at this point, I really missed EB. 

Hartebeests

When EB and I worked on Grevy’s Zebra, one of the steps was collecting individual stool samples.  We had to know which individual stool we were collecting.  EB would stay at the car and give me directions, based on the photograph taken, to the stool.  I would collect, and then label the bag based on what she told me. 

We had a system, and it worked well.  She was good at determining where the stool was from the photograph, and giving directions, and I was good at following her instructions. 

I had Mathenge and Tim helping me in the field.  We decided that they would go to the field to retrieve the samples, and I would give directions over the walkie-talkie to them.  They were amazing, and were able to find so many samples! However, because so many animals defecated within feet of each other, it made very difficult to accurately differentiate the actual individual whose stool it was.  We were able to find 9 of the 11 that defecated!  We have samples from 80% of the herd! It is fantastic. 

Tim came to help me process the samples in the lab.  We worked for 2 hours and had the tests set up.  We then took a trip to the human clinic to use their centrifuge.  I read samples into the night.  Something felt right about being in the lab, I felt at home.  Yet, there was something that felt wrong about being in the lab without EB and Katie. It was a strange feeling.  Home and homeless.

Lab at the end of the setting up all my samples

 My busy day yesterday concluded with girly giggle talk with Ruwy next door.

What a perfect end to yesterday and a perfect start to today. 

Let me see where tomorrow leads me…

Rain, a Grevy's, and rain

2 of the 7 Northern White Rhinos left in the World - Ol Pejeta

So there are many things that I packed for my trip here.  Each of them, I had a reason for packing.  However, I thought I might share some of the alternative uses that I have found myself using. 

Sunglasses: Purchased to protect my eyes from the hot and powerful African sun. 

Alternative Use:  Windshield in the darkness.

The Mobile Vet Unit vehicle is a Toyota Land Cruiser truck.  It has the cab up front, which can tightly fit 3 people.  In the truck bed is a bench seat that can fit 3 people comfortably.  There are roll bars over the truck bed, and a canvas covering.  The “windows” can be rolled down.  However, one of the “window” coverings had become damaged, and was taken off about 2 weeks ago to be repaired.  This leaves one side of the truck bed unprotected.  When we fly down a road at 100kph, it gets very, very windy in the back.  So despite the time that we are driving, I always have my sunglasses on.  I constantly find myself singing “I wear my sunglasses at night” in my head. 

Northern White Rhino saying hello

Rain Jacket: Brought to keep my body dry if it rained.

Alternative Uses:  Wind Shield.  Makeshift “window” cover on the Land Cruiser

This item is one of the best things that I have brought.  Not only does it help reflect the crazy wind (see above), but also yesterday when the heavens opened up, it was used as a makeshift window cover.  This partially protected us from the monsoon rain!

Northern White Rhino, so close that you can see his skin! 

Phone:  cheapo purchased to keep in touch whilst here

Alternative use: alarm clock, calculator, torch (when I have forgotten my useful head torch) and radio

I purchased a phone.  Who knew that it would be so useful for all of the other things that this 7 £ phone had to offer!

Grevy's Zebra 1st treatment from last week

Leatherman:  Just always handy to have:

Uses:  screwing the dart onto the tranquilizer drug, cutting sandwiches,

I never would have thought to leave my Leatherman at home.  PS this is also another one of Mum’s perfect gifts.  I was given this Leatherman in 2004, when I moved into my first apartment.  It has always been useful, but I would not survive without it here.  I am constantly using it for common uses.  However, on this trip, it has been invaluable to screw the actual dart onto the syringe containing the immobilizing drugs.  Also, when a packed lunch has been given, it easily and gracefully makes my sandwich sharable with Tim.

Hat: To shade from the powerful African sun.

Alternative uses: Wind shield, and also to keep my hair from turning into one big knot on the road

Again, another wind shield. It also came in handy as protection from the rain the other day.  If I didn’t have it, there would be no amount of conditioner that could untangle my hair! 

2nd visit to the 3 orphan black rhinos on Lewa

Now all of these things came into use yesterday.  We were at Ol Pejeta, retreating our Grevy’s Zebra.  She had markedly improved, but we needed to give her a drug to treat the two blood parasites that we had found on diagnostics.

Skinny Grevy's, avoiding us

Darting an animal the first time is easier.  The animal has no idea of what is happening when the truck pulls up next to her, and a big metal gun barrel comes out the window.  However, second immobilizations are much more difficult.  The animal remembers.  We found our Grevy’s and she definitely wanted nothing to do with us.  We went on an off road adventure to try and get the right angle to dart her.  We were finally presented with the perfect angle, but the wind took the dart.  The dart ended up hitting her in a less muscular area, meaning the drug would be more slowly absorbed, and the effects of immobilization would take much longer.  She took off into the brush and we slowly pursued.  It was evident that she had gotten some effects of the drugs, as she wobbled through the brush. However, it was clear that she would not be fully immobilized.  Everyone hopped out of the truck.  A large rope was pulled from the back.  People encircled her.  Mutinda and Methenge were running off with the rope between them.  I couldn’t quite grasp what they were trying to accomplish.  I held my position, and suddenly everyone but Tim disappeared.  They were all running around, trying to keep the Grevy’s contained. 

I saw an opportunity, and started the Land Cruiser.  I am ever so thankful to EB and Justin’s patience when they taught me to drive off road last time I was in Kenya.  Without that training, I doubt that I would have been as flawless as I was driving around in the brush.  I went over shrubs, squeezed between acacia trees, and navigated bumps.  If only there was a picture of the determined look in my eye.  My opportunity was to head off the Grevy’s, who was stumbling and making a quick escape from the circle of people.  I drove in front of her, and she reversed her direction.  It was perfect.  I hopped out of the car, and I then tried to get her to go in the direction of the rope.  It was still not clear to me what they were going to do, but I knew she needed to be near the rope.  Every time she changed her direction, I ran ahead of her to keep her going in the right direction.  Finally she saw her opportunity to escape this circle of people.  She trotted through what looked to be an opening.  It was not until she got closer to “her escape route” that she noticed that there was a rope, strung between 2 people.  She feebly attempted to jump the rope, but was tripped up. 

Holding the Grevy's down

She was on the ground.  I swear what happened next looked like Steve Irwin going after a crocodile.  Magically 4 people were on top of her, holding her to the ground.  I bolted to the scene, pulling out syringes and the medications.  Jab. Jab.  The medication was in.  Boom bang, I was drawing blood from her ear to reevaluate her condition.  Move your leg slightly, ok don’t move…I was drawing blood from her jugular vein for more in depth analysis. 

Mutinda rushed to me and said, what is your priority.  I flawlessly stated my physical exam, authoritatively, but not brash.  “I’m not happy with her breathing, she needs to be reversed.  Her mucous membranes are pinker than last time, less ticks noted, swelling down in her joints, coat looks better.  We are never going to get her again, I say lets give her another antibiotic injection and multivitamin injection and reverse her.”  Mutinda concurred.  Tim quickly drew up the extra injections, and the reversal was given. Three seconds after the reversal was given, she was on her feet, walking away from us, still a bit unsteady on her feet. 

I continued to watch her, as the treatment for the blood parasites has been known to cause anaphylaxis…to which I had the treatment for in my bag.  She seemed in good form, wet from the water poured on her to keep her from overheating, and slightly out of it from the drugs and experience.  

Damn! The adrenaline rush from that whole experience left me smiling.  I was so proud that I made quick, accurate decisions.  And we were off to find a lioness at another part of the conservancy whose tracking collar was not accurately transmitting. 

Looking for the lioness - Well I was holding the equipment, but had no idea how to use it! 

On the way there, the heavens opened up.  Thunder rattled my bones.  Everyone from the back of the other truck (with no cover on it) ran into our truck bed.  Suddenly the truck bed was filled with 8 people.  We were all laughing.  Methenge and Mutinda quickly called off the search for the lion.  The soil where we were is called Black Cotton.  It’s lovely to drive on when it is dry, however as soon as rain hits, it becomes a nightmare.

Makeshift "window" cover

Methenge worked quickly to get us out of there so we wouldn’t get stuck.  Within minutes of the rain starting, we were fishtailing and getting very close to getting stuck.  Methenge is magically.  He got us out of there.  There was one stretch, right before arriving at the partially graveled road that we fishtailed.  We all leaned in the car to avoid from rolling.  I must say, in that instance, I was very scared.  I envisioned the truck rolling, and all 8 of us bouncing around, unrestrained in it.  Methenge corrected and smoothly reached the safer road.  I think my “mudding” days are over. 

I can remember when I was young, and good southern girls go mudding.  It was an adrenalin rush to get the car to fishtail.  No more for me.  I felt the danger in it at that instance.  I was happy to be back on safer ground. 

Nothing to obstruct the weather patterns.  You can see further off in the distance, there were no rain clouds, however right over us were dark, stormy clouds

We dropped everyone off at headquarters and made our way back to Nanyuki for some supplies.  It had not rained at all in Nanyuki.  I ran into my friends Sammy, Hagen, and Susan.  It was good to catch up for a bit.  We were then off, heading to Lewa. 

Tim and I continued my Swahili lessons in the truck.  I asked how to say, “I want”.  Nataka.  I then decided to say a phrase.  Nataka coffee.  Tim burst out laughing.  It turns out that coffee sounds like the Swahili word kofi.  Kofi means to slap.  I had gracefully said I want to be slapped. 

I could not stop laughing. I was soaked and it was cold.  I strung my jacket up as a makeshift wind protector and we flew back to Lewa. 

Soaked to the bone, but so happy! 

Nighttime noises

Sunset on Lewa from main road

So I must say, that I have a routine for getting ready for bed.  Shower off the grime and dirt of the day.  (*see "The dome effect" for full details of dirt.) I then tiptoe back into my room.  I have no idea why I tiptoe.  I am wearing flip-flops made out of tires.  Why tiptoeing is something I feel that I need to do is beyond me.  Anyways, after my tiptoeing session, I get changed into my comfy PJ's.  I then arrange everything next to my bed that I need.  Mostly this entails my kindle, my lotion, journal, laptop (if a movie is on the schedule for the night), and head torch.  I then undo my mosquito net and get it draped over the end of my bed.  The whole reason for this routine, is that once I take off my shoes and get into bed, I don't get out of bed again.   

So I pop on my head torch.  Walk to the other side of room to turn off light.  I then hop into bed  with my handy dandy head torch and apply the copious amounts of E45 moisturiser that it takes to not turn into a walking piece of ash.  After this, I don't want to stand again, because of the amount of ants on my floor.  Despite all of the powder, bug repellent, and the number of times that you sweep up the floor, there will always be ants on the floor.  Ants + moisturiser = not a pleasantry. So I then hop into bed and begin the task of pulling and tucking the mosquito net around my bed.  

There I am finally cocooned into my bed.  It is normally then that I realise that I am really really thirsty and the water is across the room, or that I magically need the loo again, even though I just went.  

When all the reading, writing, and watching are done and it is time for bed….the head torch comes off and gets put on the bed post.  

Now a quick thing about this head torch.  I have had it since 2003.  It was another one of the best gifts a Mum can get a girl.  I was living in Florida, and attending a business college.  I KNOW! Someone should have slapped me right then and there, but I digress.  I lived in a small dorm room with a girl named Jennifer.  Jennifer liked to sleep during normal sleeping hours.  I, on the other hand, liked to sleep in the afternoon and work through the night.  I must have mentioned to Mum that Jennifer was upset with me having the light on at all hours of the night…so tadaaaaaaaaa! A head torch.  I never would have dreamed at that stage that my head torch would be guiding me away from stepping on snakes a night, walking into holes, and getting ready for bed in Africa.  Anyways, thanks Mum!  

Right before the lights go off, I sometimes hear that horrible sound of a mosquito.  It is now the dilemma to figure out what side of the net he is on.  I then spend a few seconds trying to pinpoint his annoying sound, and then trying to see if I can even see him in the net.  I turn off the light for a bit, and then turn it back on, trying to catch him.  It must look like a cinema opening night with the flashes of my torch going around.   Just to let you know, he has never been on the inside of the net…but yet I triple check this when I do hear his sounds.  

So lights off.  Utter darkness.  Now is when my hearing becomes super astute.  Is that a grasshopper in the in bush outside?  No, just kidding.  But, so many sound fill the air at night.  The other night, no animal wanted to sleep.  I was listening to sounds of Impala, grunting and fighting in the nearby field, the tree hyraxes screaming (seriously try and google the sound of a tree hyrax), Elephants trumpeting in the distance, grasshoppers playing their tune, the cat outside growling at something nearby,…..it is overwhelming.  

Depending on the activities of the day, sometimes I sleep through the night, and sometimes the sounds of animals wake me up.  I don't get angry if a lion's roar wakes me up, I get angry if I don't wake up for a lion's roar.  The sound pulsates through your body.  Also if a lion is about to eat me, I think I would want to hear it.  I don't even curse the tree hyrax at 5am, or the vervet monkeys playing just outside my window at 6am.  I just listen for a minute, and then roll back over to sleep, tucked nicely under the mozzie net with lovely moisturised feet.