 On the morning of Tuesday 30 May we began a 15-hour drive from Hwange to Pilansberg. On the way, we collected a truck which had been specially modified with a cage on the back suitable for holding the dogs. The drive was a harrowing experience - delays at the border and busy traffic on the narrow, unlit roads at night. We decided that it was not safe to continue and found a hotel room for the night.
Upon reaching South Africa on the Wednesday afternoon, we made further modifications to the truck to ensure that the dogs would be as safe and comfortable as possible.
Another frustrating day of waiting followed as the ZPWMA representatives who were travelling with us had to wade their way through even more red tape. It would have been easy for them to give up but they were as determined as we were and eventually met up with us on the Thursday evening.
Early Friday morning saw us driving to the facility where the dogs were being held. The South African vet and his team prepared their equipment as we prepared ours. We wanted to fit protective collars to each dog at this stage so that we would not have to put the dogs through the stress of a further immobilisation prior to their release in Zimbabwe.Labels: African Hunting Dog, Painted Dog, Wild Dog |
