Situation in Zimbabwe

[ZX-Dilk]

Diese "Brandmail" hat uns erreicht!

to all the animal's lovers who have compassion to the helpless, I'm forwarding an urgent @mail I got, please see what you can do to help:

I am appealing personally to all those who I feel may be able to assist. If you have any further suggestions, please do not hesitate to let me know.

The situation in Zimbabwe is worsening for both humans and animals – with animals now being in the front line. The SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is doing their absolute best to rescue as many farm animals - cattle, sheep, poultry, goats, ostriches, even crocodiles - as possible.

Many farmers have in the last few days been forced off their farms at gunpoint, and are not able to take anything with them, not even domestic pets. These include dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, horses and donkeys – any animal that needs care. The farmers are not permitted back onto the farms, however, SPCA is able to get onto the farms, and does their very best to recover animals – even when they have been stolen from the farms and into the bush or tribal areas. They use tracker dogs to trace the stolen animals.

Meryl Harrison, the head of the National SPCA, is rescuing as many of these animals as possible. As she is apolitical, she is accompanied by a police escort, and her recovery rate of pets is extremely good. They need drugs, equipment and manpower over and beyond what they already have, as the scale of their rescue mission is unprecedented for Zimbabwe. You may have read about some of her experiences in The Daily Telegraph (UK).

She is not fighting a losing battle, but she does need funds. Just today I have started to do what I can and collect funds for the SPCA, to be sourced to Meryl to be used at her discretion. I am contacting all of the friends of the Ridgeback Clubs that I can think of, and already the response has been extremely promising.

Time is important. I am collecting the money myself, and making sure it gets to Meryl through the channels I have. Please trust me, as I trust Meryl.

I have opened a separate bank account in Australia specifically for this purpose. Details as follows:

Bank: Westpac Banking Corporation, Buderim, Qld, Australia

Account name : ANIMAL RESCUE

Branch: (BSB) 034243

Account number: 149163

Many thanks,

Linda Costa

sarula@optusnet.com.au

11 - 17 Greenwood Close

Buderim QLD 4556

[Monika Happich]

Hallo Alle,

zu Linda Costa ist noch folgendes anzumerken:

Sie lebte über 20 Jahre in Zimbabwe und hat dort eine Art Netzwerk, von Leuten die ihr helfen, dass das Geld auch bei den richtigen Leute ankommt. Genau wie Mariette in den Niederlanden und Beate Sommer hier in Deutschland, hat auch Sie ein Konto für die Zimbabwe Rescue eröffnet. Die Situation dort scheint wirklich sehr ernst zu sein!

Monika

[Webmaster]

FRIDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2002

Meryl went off at the crack of dawn this morning to rescue 8 horses which had been abandoned on a farm in Marondera. They have got places for them at a horse sanctuary but a lot will depend on how tame they are. They lady who runs the sanctuary can only accommodate fairly tame animals. Any that cannot be loaded will have to be put down as they have started feeding on the settlers' maize crops and we cannot leave them to an uncertain fate.

She had an awful case yesterday morning in Chitungwiza (near Harare) - a 'political group' stoned a young female dog 'Fox' and left her for dead - only she wasn't. When they got to her they found that her back had been broken - she died shortly after they got her back to the kennels. Meryl said that she was still just a puppy. There seems to be no limit to the acts of cruelty being inflicted at this time.

Meryl made a more successful trip back to the farm in Beatrice where they were previously denied access. When they arrived there was a huge barricade on the road leading to the farmhouse which they managed to get around, only to find a boulder on the road with a sign saying "No Go Area". Undaunted they got in and returned with 'Major' the Rotty and 'Roxy' the Airedale - both very thin, as well as 7 geese. 'Beno' and 'Rotty' are still missing. They are around but obviously terrified and whenever they hear anyone approaching they run away through holes in the back of the fence. Meryl will try and get permission to return with the owner's wife - if the dogs hear her voice they should return. Sadly, the owners have had enough and are going to leave the country. Fortunately, Meryl has some super homes lined up for the dogs.

Meryl and the team also effected a successful rescue in the Norton area - they had been warned about going there but fortunately they effected the rescue without incident. This time it was 2 Irish Terriers 'Murphy' and 'Tinker' and a Collie X Ridgeback 'Bobby'. They were crawling with ticks and fleas and 'Tinker" had developed a cough but otherwise they were in a fairly good condition. The very brave gardener refused to leave and although he had no food for the dogs, he found some maize which he ground down and cooked for the animals to keep them alive.

The other tragedy on this farm is that the owner's wife had started an orphanage (including a blind child) - however, she thinks she will be able to find somewhere else for them to go in Harare.

Meryl has confirmed that the herd of cattle at Masvingo have been released and are being permitted to graze for the time being.

She is very concerned about the pigs - apparently there are still piglets on the farm in Beatrice which have being dying at the rate of 20 - 30 a day. She arranged for a government animal health inspector to try and get through with the necessary food and medicines.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SATURDAY 02 FEBRUARY 2002

Meryl phoned to advise that, unfortunately, all of the horses - actually 9 of them - are very wild. They tried to round them up but they scattered onto a neighbouring farm. They finally managed to get them into a large paddock - so they are no longer in any danger. The owner's father has been contacted and is coming to attend to them.

Late on Friday, Meryl finally managed to get through to the farm in Beatrice on which the pigs had been left - accompanied by 6 armed Support Unit - the remaining pigs, numbering more than 800, are in a condition which Meryl had great difficulty in describing to me, clearly disturbed by the what she had found. At 5.00pm Meryl was waiting on two trucks to arrive in order to move the pigs to an empty piggery in Ruwa where they could be cared for and treated. They expect to lose some en route but they cannot attend to them where they are now. The settlers and farm workers are agitating and not happy that the pigs are being taken as they claim to be owed money by the farmer. The owner's wife was allowed to go into the house to pack a few personal belongings and they tried to take one of her cases from the back of her car. Meryl is certain that once they leave, everything that is left will be looted.

Unfortunately it is going to be impossible for them to keep mothers and their piglets together en transit as they will be all muddled up when they are loading and off-loading, but the stockman with them said that most mothers will accept other piglets.

Anyway, it is going to be another very late night for Meryl and the team.

The good news is that 'Rotty' has been found by a security guard on his farm. The guard is taking care of him, but 'Beno' is still missing


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SUNDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2002

As it was dark before the trucks arrived, the rescue team returned at 6.30am this morning to start rescuing the pigs. Meryl has been witness to what has been one to the worst cases she has ever had to deal with. Meryl gave a graphic description of an absolute animal welfare nightmare. Dozens of pigs had died and the starving surviving animals were feeding on the rotting carcasses. Some bodies were so decomposed that they disintegrated when the team tried to pick them up. In the middle of the mayhem, a sow was trying to give birth next to dead animals. A large sow which Meryl thought was sleeping in a feeding trough had died where she lay. Many piglets were so weak that they just fell over when they tried to walk.

To compound matters, workers refused to help with the loading and released pigs to make life more difficult for the team. Meryl called for assistance from Harare SPCA who sent 6 kennel hands. The ZRP did their best to keep the settlers/farm workers at bay whilst assisting with capturing and loading. It was a painstaking process as the truck could not get near to the piggery. The pigs were loaded into the back of Meryl's van, then transported to the waiting truck.

The farm workers became disgruntled and pulled down the loading ramps. After intense and unfruitful negotiations, Meryl finally offered the workers Zim$5,000 to help load the pigs. This was agreed to and loading recommenced, but Meryl reported that the workers manhandled the ailing animals terribly, picking them up by their tails or a leg and flinging them into the truck. She bit her tongue as she knew that if she challenged anyone, they would not be able to rescue any more pigs. As it was, the workers then stopped and said that they would decide which animals would go and they were going to keep the healthy animals for themselves. Meryl had to agree in order to get all the sick and injured animals out. Then the workers said the rescue team could only take 100 animals. They announced that they had loaded 100 animals and demanded their money. Meryl paid it over but was informed by the truck driver that only 84 animals had been loaded - her objections were fruitless and they had to leave with the animals that they had.

She is making arrangements to return with about 15 armed policemen and more helpers and trucks to collect the remaining animals.

[Michael Sommer]

YET ANOTHER INNOCENT VICTIM OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Recently "Fox" became the latest victim of the political violence sweeping the country. Only 3 months old, this small brindle bitch was brutally stoned by a mob of political youths. Her owner who lived in Unit K, Seke rushed his puppy to the SPCA Mobile Clinic that was in the area at the time.

The staff of the Mobile Clinic realizing how serious Fox's injuries were, contacted the staff of Seke Road Kennels and a vehicle was sent to collect the pup and bring it straight back to the SPCA. But little 'Fox' was already dying, her spine had been badly smashed by the rocks and stones thrown at her. Shortly after admission 'Fox' died.

Zimbabwe National SPCA once again deplores the killing of an innocent animal in the name of politics. Meryl Harrison, Chief Inspector and National Coordinator of ZNSPCA said "It is not important to us which political party these youths belong to, what is important is that they are brought to book for the brutality and cruelty of their actions."

[Michael Sommer]

Mist, eigentlich wollte ich das Bild von Fox an die Meldung hängen, die mir Mariette als Mail geschickt hat, das hat aber nicht geklappt, deshalb jetzt hier als Link:

http://www.akua-ba.de/littlefox1.jpg

Mariette hatte mich auch gebeten die Situation in Simbabwe auf Deutsch zu schilder, aber leider bin ich bislang noch nicht dazu gekommen, die recht umfangreichen Berichte, die uns vorliegen, zu übersetzen.

Ich hoffe, dass ich morgen oder übermorgen dazu komme.

[vizara]

Hi MIchael, Thanks for posting the updates on the Forum, we hope that the German page will be ready this weekend.
kind regards,
mariette