It was the saddest of days, when the thunderous roar was silenced forever. Big Boy, majestic king of beasts, our lion had stolen the hearts of people from around the world. Over the years this big boy had been photographed by thousands and amazed children from various schools who had never seen nor heard the awe inspiring roar of the lion. Big Boy was put down on October 23rd.
Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has had the distinct pleasure of Big Boy's company since he was a small cub. In that time he created an amazing bond with Brian, which is part of what made the lion so special. Big Boy was like a giant teddy bear who loved attention and company.
His illness is still not diagnosed but the autopsy showed his heart was like jelly, his kidneys were swollen and his lungs flat and he became blind. Through this entire time he still hung on, slowly walking around although bumping into things, his determination to live brought tears to all who looked at him in this condition.
Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre were recently asked for assistance in the manner of 3 cubs who were left without their mother. A local farmer had recently obtained a permit to shoot 8 lions that were attacking his stock. After dispatching the lions he discovered the three cubs at which point he contacted the rehab centre. All three female lion cubs were taken in and sedated for TB testing.
Delilah, a baby leopard who arrived at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre last year in September recently became ill. Over just a few days she rapidly deteriorated which prompted local vet assistance. Delilah had become quite somber which was opposite from her usual demeanor. During examination blood was discovered in her stool as well. Despite excellent care she began to deteriorate even further becoming lethargic and dehydrated. Due to these conditions Brian decided quickly to seek help from a vet in town in the hopes that they could prevent her getting even worse. It was a little hard to get her into the travel box, but once the doors were closed she was quickly taken away.
On arrival she was sedated and the veterinary team attended to her. With a flurry of movement she was quickly receiving multiple bags of fluid and antibiotics. Several tests were performed but no source of bacterial infection could be found. While these results did not rule out infection from another source it left us with no firm answer. With further treatment and observation needed she was left at the vet.
Even knowing that Delilah was in the best hands, leaving the veterinarians office was a very difficult moment. A couple days later she was allowed to come home and taken to the clinic for some TLC and observation. During her stay at the vets Brian visited her often and what many students do not realize is that Delilah was allowed to wander around much the way she did as a cub. You see despite being hand raised leopards tend to be unpredictable which means no one had been in her enclosure since she arrived. Thanks to Brian, students got a very unexpected treat when he opened the cage doors and allowed Delilah to wander around with the students. Students reacted in awe and silence at being so close to this majestic animal. Cameras were quickly clicking away as the students refused to waste the opportunity they had been given. Hundreds of photographs were taken and the cat seemed very at ease meandering through the crowd.
During the visit Brian made sure to explain to the students that this was a rare opportunity with the leopard, Delilah. The main reason she was suddenly so docile was the change in environment, everything was unfamiliar to her. The same could not be said for the habitat in which she lives, there she would be much more confident and hence aggressive. Playing with Delilah in her enclosure could result in great injury to the human body. Everyone drank in this opportune moment in time and we all rejoiced to have our girl, safe and sound back at the wildlife rehabilitation centre.
Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has had the distinct pleasure of Big Boy's company since he was a small cub. In that time he created an amazing bond with Brian, which is part of what made the lion so special. Big Boy was like a giant teddy bear who loved attention and company.
His illness is still not diagnosed but the autopsy showed his heart was like jelly, his kidneys were swollen and his lungs flat and he became blind. Through this entire time he still hung on, slowly walking around although bumping into things, his determination to live brought tears to all who looked at him in this condition.
Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre were recently asked for assistance in the manner of 3 cubs who were left without their mother. A local farmer had recently obtained a permit to shoot 8 lions that were attacking his stock. After dispatching the lions he discovered the three cubs at which point he contacted the rehab centre. All three female lion cubs were taken in and sedated for TB testing.
Delilah, a baby leopard who arrived at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre last year in September recently became ill. Over just a few days she rapidly deteriorated which prompted local vet assistance. Delilah had become quite somber which was opposite from her usual demeanor. During examination blood was discovered in her stool as well. Despite excellent care she began to deteriorate even further becoming lethargic and dehydrated. Due to these conditions Brian decided quickly to seek help from a vet in town in the hopes that they could prevent her getting even worse. It was a little hard to get her into the travel box, but once the doors were closed she was quickly taken away.
On arrival she was sedated and the veterinary team attended to her. With a flurry of movement she was quickly receiving multiple bags of fluid and antibiotics. Several tests were performed but no source of bacterial infection could be found. While these results did not rule out infection from another source it left us with no firm answer. With further treatment and observation needed she was left at the vet.
Even knowing that Delilah was in the best hands, leaving the veterinarians office was a very difficult moment. A couple days later she was allowed to come home and taken to the clinic for some TLC and observation. During her stay at the vets Brian visited her often and what many students do not realize is that Delilah was allowed to wander around much the way she did as a cub. You see despite being hand raised leopards tend to be unpredictable which means no one had been in her enclosure since she arrived. Thanks to Brian, students got a very unexpected treat when he opened the cage doors and allowed Delilah to wander around with the students. Students reacted in awe and silence at being so close to this majestic animal. Cameras were quickly clicking away as the students refused to waste the opportunity they had been given. Hundreds of photographs were taken and the cat seemed very at ease meandering through the crowd.
During the visit Brian made sure to explain to the students that this was a rare opportunity with the leopard, Delilah. The main reason she was suddenly so docile was the change in environment, everything was unfamiliar to her. The same could not be said for the habitat in which she lives, there she would be much more confident and hence aggressive. Playing with Delilah in her enclosure could result in great injury to the human body. Everyone drank in this opportune moment in time and we all rejoiced to have our girl, safe and sound back at the wildlife rehabilitation centre.
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