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1 MALILANGWE COURSE ON CHEMICAL & PHYSICAL RESTRAINT OF AFRICAN WILDLIFE 7th - 16th February 2014 COURSE REPORT © Photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York Introduction The Malilangwe Course on Chemical and Physical Restraint of Wildlife, co-hosted by The Malilangwe Trust and www.wildlifecaptureafrica.com, with organisational support from the Zimbabwe Wildlife Veterinary Trust, is a course approved by the Zimbabwe Veterinary Association wildlife group (ZVA-WG) committee for the purposes of training Zimbabweans who wish to apply for Dangerous Drugs Licenses (DDL) in terms of the Dangerous Drugs Act Chapter 15:02. The 2014 course was convened on Friday 7th February 2014 and was concluded with examinations for candidates on Saturday 15th February 2014. The Malilangwe Trust 2 Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Course participants ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Course lecturers & organisers ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Sponsorships ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Course Programme ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Total hours of instruction ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Continuous Professional Development for Veterinarians .............................................................................................. 6 Wednesday 5th & Thursday 6th February 2014 .............................................................................................................. 7 Friday 7th February 2014 - Day 0 ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Saturday 8th February 2014 – Day 1................................................................................................................................ 7 Sunday 9th February 2014 – Day 2 .................................................................................................................................. 9 Monday 10th February 2014 – Day 3............................................................................................................................. 10 Black Rhino field immobilisation; Team C: afternoon of day 3 ..................................................................................... 11 Lion immobilisation & intra-abdominal implant removal; Team C: evening of Day 3. ................................................. 11 Tuesday 11th February 2014 – Day 4............................................................................................................................. 12 Giraffe immobilisation; A Team: early morning Day 4 .................................................................................................. 12 Elephant Immobilisation; Team D; Day 4 ..................................................................................................................... 14 White Rhino capture and ear-notching - Team B: afternoon of Day 4 ......................................................................... 14 Wednesday 12th February 2014- Day 5......................................................................................................................... 15 Thursday 13th February 2014 – Day 6 ........................................................................................................................... 17 Friday 14th February 2014 – Day 7 ................................................................................................................................ 18 Saturday 15th February 2014- Exam Day....................................................................................................................... 18 Sunday 16th February 2014 ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Acknowledgements and thanks ........................................................................................................................................ 19 2015 Course Details: ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 The Malilangwe Trust 3 Course participants ZIMBABWEAN REFRESHERS ZIMBABWEAN FIRST TIME ATTENDEES REGIONAL ATTENDEES INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 SURNAME Brightman De Garine Fouche Groom Hunt Loveridge Monk Newall Peek Rees Savage Shultz Wilson Allberry Hoffman Moyo Adwok Blignaut Hoffman Lawrence Macpherson Morkel 1ST NAME Mark Michel Brad Rosemary Jane Andy Norman Anthony Richard Rob Claire William Kevin Jaimy -Lee Lauren Gordon David Dawie Kobus Jennifer Derek Cheri 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Nel O'Dell Roberts Sichande Barker Beyea Conaghan Dahlgren Bertus Jaques David Mwamba Nancy Louise Jennifer Neky 33 KileyWorthington Larson Phillips RendleWorthington Schaar Warth 34 35 36 37 38 EXAM YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES Marthe Vet Vet Vet Vet Non-vet Vet Non-vet Vet student Non-vet ORGANISATION Thetford Game Reserve CIRAD Malilangwe AWCF Hwange Lion Research Hwange Lion Research ZPWMA Lion & Cheetah Park Pvt game farmer Pvt Veterinarian Pvt Veterinarian Pvt Chipingali Wildlife Orphanage Pvt Veterinarian Pvt Veterinarian Pvt Veterinarian South Sudan – unable to attend Onderstepoort, UP Pvt Veterinarian Novartis Pvt Ltd Pvt conservationist Namibia Ministry of Environment Capture Unit Pvt Veterinarian Onderstepoort, UP Onderstepoort, UP South Luangwa Predator Project Research Zoo veterinarian NSW Zoo Vet Student YES Animal Welfare Specialist UK Ramona Victoria Jake Vet Vet Non-vet YES RCVS Animal Welfare Specialist USA UK UK Ulrich Stephen Vet Vet Non-Vet Vet Non-Vet Non-Vet Non-vet Non-vet Non-vet Non-vet Non-vet Vet Vet Non-vet Non-vet Vet Vet Vet VET Vet Vet Vet Non-vet Vet nurse YES YES YES YES YES YES No YES YES Veterinarian YES COUNTRY Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe South Sudan Zambia South Africa South Africa South Africa Malawi Namibia South Africa South Africa South Africa Zambia USA USA Australia Argentina France Australia / Zim As can be seen from the list of attendees above, all three Zimbabwean “first timers” were veterinarians. There were 13 Zimbabweans undergoing their 5 year mandatory refresher course (3 veterinarians and 10 non-vet refreshers). The Malilangwe Trust 4 Course lecturers & organisers LECTURERS & ORGANISERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 York Foggin Burroughs Buss Chaitezvi Cooper Hoare Hofmeyer Kock La Grange La Grange Masterson McTaggart Miller Morkel Mostert Wenham Fouche Claypole Foggin Lorna Chris Richard Pete Columbas Dave Richard Markus Mike Mike Nick Chap John Michele Pete Josh Colin Tracey Jaelle Greg Course convenor Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust University of Pretoria, Vet Science RSA National Parks Vet Unit Wildlife Veterinary Unit KZN-Ezemvelo, KZN, RSA Pvt Wildlife Veterinarian RSA National Parks Vet Unit University of Pretoria, Vet Science African Wildlife Management Consultants African Wildlife Management Consultants Zimbabwe Wildlife Veterinary Trust Helicopter pilot Palm Beach Zoo Pvt Wildlife Veterinarian African Wildlife Management Consultants Practical co-ordinator Malilangwe Trust Hospitality & accommodation- Malilangwe Trust Zimbabwe Wildlife Veterinary Trust Pvt Zimbabwe Botswana RSA Zimbabwe RSA Zimbabwe RSA RSA Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe USA RSA Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Zimbabwe The enormous collective experience, knowledge and expertise of the lecturing and organising team, and their enthusiastic dedication to share and pass on their skills for the betterment of wildlife immobilisation and conservation, continues to be the foundation upon which the course has earned its reputation as being the pre-eminent course for the chemical and physical restraint of African Wildlife anywhere in the world. This team was once again backed up by cheerfully seamless organisational support from the Course Convenor - Lorna York and a number of other assistants thoroughly deserving of thanks: Dr Chris Foggin providing course leadership, mentorship and oversight. Jaelle Claypole and Greg Foggin - for tireless organisation of kit and equipment for team practicals and general assistance and organisation throughout the course. Colin Wenham, Bruce Clegg and Mike Ball as well as other members of the Malilangwe Team for what has become their customarily tremendous support and organisation of field practicals John MCTaggart for his printing of course hand-outs and his generous provision of Helicopter services at below cost price. Josh Mostert, Nick la Grange, Mike la Grange and the AWMC team for all their assistance in practicals and demonstration of mass-capture techniques at cost. Ruth Dabbs for up-to-date practical instruction in emergency first aid and CPR. Malilangwe management and camp staff of Hakamela and Kwali Camps for their top-notch hospitality. The Malilangwe Trust 5 Sponsorships The subject of sponsorships surprisingly raises some of the few negative comments on the 2014 course. Whereas the Zimbabwe Wildlife Veterinary Trust had originally organised and fund-raised full sponsorships for no fewer than 6 indigenous Zimbabweans to attend the course – 5 out of 6 of these candidates disappointingly cancelled their attendance without notification of the course organisers. Nonetheless, there were still a number of other sponsorships for the attendance of veterinarians from various other countries. I. Dr Gordon Moyo, a private veterinarian from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, was co-sponsored by the Malilangwe Trust and the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust II. Dr Mwamba Sichande from Zambia was sponsored by Rachel MCRobb of the South Luangwa Predator Project, Zambia. III. Dr Dawie Blignaut and Dr Jacques O’Dell were sponsored by proceeds from the sale of the Course Manual. IV. Dr David Adwok of South Sudan was sponsored by WCS but was disappointingly unable to enter Zimbabwe for lack of a VISA. As is normal course policy, all sponsored candidates were required to sit the examination as a demonstration to their benefactors that sponsorships were taken seriously and monies paid on their behalf were well spent. The organisers would like to extend our most sincere gratitude to all sponsors for their support and are happy to report that not only did all sponsored candidates pass the examination but also applied themselves commendably and participated enthusiastically in all aspects of the course. Course Programme As usual the course included a series of theoretical lecture presentations on relevant physiology, pharmacology and species considerations pertaining to physical and chemical restraint of an array of African Wildlife presented by highly experienced and internationally recognised experts. In addition, relevant legal, ethical and regulatory obligations and considerations as well as safety, first aid and procedural best practice were all presented and highlighted. Theory lectures were reinforced by a strong practical instruction component. As usual, course attendees were split into 4 groups, each group being led by 2 team lecturers supported by hand-picked team captains experienced in chemical and physical restraint of wildlife. Practical instruction in smaller groups ensures that course attendees receive one-onone instruction, on-going evaluation throughout the week and enables instructors to identify and actively assist those candidates that might be lagging in certain respects. Teams were assigned an array of practical tasks which they were expected to complete during general and specific practical sessions. Practical tasks included: Instruction in handling and operation of dart guns, firearm safety, handling of dangerous drugs, identification of drug vials, loading and handling of darts, use of ancillary capture equipment, etc. Donkey immobilisation. All groups immobilised a donkey- which is a very useful practical for the purposes of teaching anaesthetic monitoring and appropriate response to physiological changes under anaesthesia. Immobilisation of wild animals at the Malilangwe Game Pens. Teams were afforded the opportunity to immobilise an array of species at the Malilangwe Game Pens for various management procedures ranging from clinical treatment of ailments through ear-tagging and identification to hoof trimming, routine treatments and sampling. Animal handling and immobilisation in mass capture situations- Zebra in a plastic boma and impala in a net boma. Iconic species immobilisation. Each group was assigned a different large animal to immobilise in the field. These field practicals, although each being performed by a single team, were conducted as demonstration exercises for the benefit of the entire student group. The Malilangwe Trust 6 A hippo was also immobilised as an additional practical for demonstration to the entire group of a novel darting and chemical immobilisation technique that is emerging as a useful tool for conservation management of this species. Team Lecturer 1 Team Lecturer 2 Team Captain Team Captain Firearm safety officer Practical expert Main Practical task Field capture Practical task 2 Practical task 3 (Game Pens) Practical task 4 Mass capture General practical Additional Practical TEAM A GIRAFFE TEAM B RHINO TEAM C LION TEAM D ELEPHANT Dr Pete Morkel Dr Richard Burroughs Dr Chap Masterson Brad Fouche Dr Mike Kock Dr Richard Hoare Dr Michele Miller Dr Pete Buss Dr Columbas Chaitezvi Dr Dave Cooper Dr Markus Hofmeyr Mike la Grange Giraffe immobilisation Josh Mostert Rhino immobilisation, Lion immobilisation & genetic sampling & ID collaring Elephant immobilisation Donkey immobilisation Sable immobilisation Donkey immobilisation Sable immobilisation Donkey immobilisation Buffalo immobilisation Donkey immobilisation Buffalo immobilisation Darting of Zebra in Darting of Zebra in Bleeding & plastic boma; plastic boma; immobilisation of assistance with net assistance with net impala in net boma boma boma Ensure proficiency in: Firearms safety Handling and operation of darts and dart guns Best practice for drugs handling and safety Use of ancillary capture equipment Hippo immobilisation in field- demonstration to entire student group Bleeding & immobilisation of impala in net boma As ever, the course programme was subject to a number of last minute adjustments and changes to accommodate various practical and logistical limitations and opportunities. This was especially true of the 2014 course which coincided with a period of abnormally high rainfall and humidity for the time of the year which obliged the organisers to get through as much of the practical component of the course as early in the week as opportunity allowed. Please see annexure A for detailed course programme Total hours of instruction In total course participants received: 32 hours of theoretical lecture instruction 36 hours of practical instruction Continuous Professional Development for Veterinarians The course is registered for CPD with the Council of Veterinary Surgeons of Zimbabwe (CSVZ). CSVZ has allocated 10 CPD points for veterinarians attending the course, plus an additional 4 points for those writing the examination. Application for CPD-accreditation has been made to the South African Veterinary Council for the 2014 course and relevant attendees will be updated once the application has been approved. The Malilangwe Trust 7 Wednesday 5th & Thursday 6th February 2014 All relevant permits including darting permits from National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) were organised ahead of time by the Malilangwe Trust and air-force clearance for both the fixed wing spotter plane and helicopter were organised with the very kind assistance of Mr Lovemore Mangwashu of the Lowveld Rhino Trust. Temporary registrations for all visiting lecturers were obtained from the Council of Veterinary Surgeons of Zimbabwe. Equipment and consumables were assembled from three main sources being: i. Equipment paid for by and belonging to the course itself ii. Equipment and consumables sourced by, or on loan from, the Zimbabwe Wildlife Veterinary Trust iii. Equipment on loan from, and consumables and drugs purchased from, the Wildlife Veterinary Unit (WVU), Division of Veterinary Field Services. The course organisers are greatly indebted to the WVU for their generous assistance in this regard as well as for their participation in the course itself. The organising team travelled from Harare on Thursday 6th Feb 2014 and began setting up & preparing equipment, darting-ranges, notes, lecture theatre, store-room, etc. in anticipation of arrival of the course participants on Friday. Friday 7th February 2014 - Day 0 After final preparations in the morning, course participants and instructors began arriving and registering from midday onwards. Dr Chaitezvi of the Wildlife Veterinary Unit, who had travelled to Beitbridge on the previous day, was extremely helpful in personally assisting and expediting the border clearance of South African instructors travelling into Zimbabwe and his efficient assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. With most participants having arrived and registered by supper time participants were allocated their team kits after a short presentation giving an orientation overview of practical sessions to be expected during the week. Before supper a session of personal introductions was conducted at the dinner table with all candidates and instructors giving a short introduction as to who they were, where they were from, their relevant experience and why they were attending. Course attendees were then introduced to their respective team members and instructors before final announcements for the next morning’s programme were made. Saturday 8th February 2014 – Day 1 After an introductory talk by Dr Chris Foggin at 07hr00, introducing the course, its origins, background and substance an official welcome was extended to all participants by Mr Mark Saunders, CEO of the Malilangwe Trust, who also outlined the various facets and objects of the Malilangwe Trust and its participation in conservation and philanthropic community development not only within the Malilangwe Game Reserve per se but also in the surrounding districts within the Greater Limpopo Trans-Frontier Conservation Area and more broadly within Zimbabwe. The remainder of the morning session was dedicated to instruction in the basic physiology of the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems relevant to chemical immobilisation of wild animals. Clear and concise physiology lectures were presented by the very experienced Dr Michele Miller and Dr Peter Buss. After an introductory lecture on basic pharmaco-dynamics and pharmaco-kinetics, presented by Dr Buss, the most salient anatomical and physiological principals were underscored and demonstrated during an impala post mortem conducted by Dr Chris Foggin who highlighted potential pathological considerations with commentaries on physiological and functional anatomical aspects provided by Drs Miller and Buss. The Malilangwe Trust 8 Figure 1: Impala post mortem demonstration lecture- highlighting anatomical, physiological and pathological considerations (photo courtesy Mrs Lorna York). After an introductory lecture on practical darting systems the afternoon session of the first day was dedicated to practical instruction in firearm and dart-gun operation and safety introduced and led by an informative lecture from Mr Mike la Grange before participants were banded into their respective teams for practical training on this all important aspect of instruction. Figure 2: practical instruction in the safe use of dart-guns and capture equipment is conducted throughout the week in team practical sessions (photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York). Formal instruction was adjourned at 17hr30 whereupon all instructors and candidates met at the old airfield for a teambuilding and ice-breaking exercise in the form of a round-robin soccer tournament between the four teams. The Malilangwe Trust 9 Figure 3: exceptional skills demonstrated on the soccer field (Photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) Sunday 9th February 2014 – Day 2 After coffee at 05hr00, the second day of the course proper kicked off with a 05hr30 start for early morning practicals. Teams A & B spent the 2 hour practical session undertaking darting and treatment of 2 sick sable calves at the Malilangwe Game Pens while Teams C & D underwent practical instruction and practice in the use of darting and ancillary capture equipment. Figure 4: Left- Josh Mostert hands a darted sable calf down to members of Team A; Right- members of Team A attend to the calf under the supervision of Dr Jacqui Mostert and Dr Pete Morkel (Photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) The morning lecture session, instructed by Dr Pete Morkel, provided more detailed pharmacological instruction on the various drug classes and individual drugs routinely used in chemical restraint of wildlife. This was followed by introductory lectures on the main principles of chemical capture and restraint presented by Dr Richard Hoare. The Malilangwe Trust 10 The afternoon session, dedicated to principles and methods of physiological and anaesthetic monitoring (and appropriate remedial actions), was introduced in a formal lecture presented by Dr Michele Miller followed by a 3 hour practical session during which teams each darted a donkey at the Malilangwe Game Pens to provide practical anaesthetic and physiological monitoring exposure to the students under controlled captive conditions.. An hour-long evening laboratory session was conducted for Teams A and B during which teams were given basic instruction by Dr Michele Miller and Jaelle Claypole as to appropriate choice, preliminary processing, preliminary assessment, labelling, recording, storage, transport and submission of various clinical samples which students might have occasion to collect during the course of their work. During this session, samples obtained from all the animals immobilised over the course of the day during team practicals were processed and used for demonstration purposes before being appropriately stored and recorded for future reference. Monday 10th February 2014 – Day 3 Day 3 of the course got off to another 05hr30 start with Teams C & D deploying to dart and treat Roan Antelope to the Malilangwe Game Pens while Teams A & B underwent practical instruction and practice with darting and ancillary capture equipment on the darting ranges. The bulk of the morning lecturing session, commencing at 07Hr30, covered species-specific considerations, drugs and capture methods for a variety of animal species commonly immobilised for various reasons. Species-specific discussions were covered by various different instructors each with considerable experience in dealing with their respective species. After the species-specific lectures, the pre-lunch session was concluded with a lecture on safe handling of immobilising drugs and appropriate drug-specific responses to accidental human intoxication. This was followed up in the next postlunch session with an up-to-date practical demonstration in CPR and emergency first aid presented by Mrs Ruth Dabbs Malilangwe’s resident qualified nursing sister and paramedic. Figure 5: Nursing Sister Ruth Dabbs demonstrating CPR and first aid technique (photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) The remainder of the day was dedicated to field practicals undertaken by Teams B and C who captured a sub-adult black rhino (for purposes of ear notching) and a lioness (in order to remove an intra-abdominal VHF implant), respectively- see below. The Malilangwe Trust 11 Black Rhino field immobilisation; Team C: afternoon of day 3 In Zimbabwe, all rhino of the two native species (Black and White Rhinoceros), are allocated an individual national identity number that individually identifies each animal for monitoring and management purposes. The individual identity number is marked as a series of small notches in the animal’s ear margins enabling field rangers to accurately identify individuals in the wild. At the same time as the animal is notched the individual is given an RFiD microchip and is sampled for a variety of clinical parameters as well as having a DNA sample banked for genetic analysis and metapopulation management purposes. This identification ear-notching and genetic sampling was the primary reason for the immobilisation of both rhino on this course. During the 2014 course there were 2 young rhino of appropriate age for ear-notching and identification – on of each species. On the afternoon of Day 3, taking advantage of a candidate Black Rhino sub-adult having been located by field scouts, all course participants deployed into the field, with the practical being conducted by Team B and observed by the other teams. The 20 month old Black Rhino was darted from the helicopter by Team B lecturer – Dr Mike Kock. Figure 6: Left-to-right from top left – i) team instruction - loading the dart for the rhino; ii) Team B monitoring the young rhino during the procedure; iii) a team photo; iv) debrief of the entire student group upon completion of the immobilisation exercise (photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) Upon release of the notched Black Rhino calf, which joined up with its mother shortly after release, all teams retired to the airstrip for a detailed debrief on the most important species-specific considerations and discussion of events in this particular exercise. Immediately thereafter all teams deployed to a nearby location on the reserve for the lion immobilisation. Lion immobilisation & intra-abdominal implant removal; Team C: evening of Day 3. During the course of the day members of the Malilangwe management team including Wildlife Manager, Colin Wenham, and Chief Ecologist Dr Bruce Clegg had gone out in search of a specific lioness that needed to have an intraabdominal VHF implant removed. The Malilangwe Trust 12 During the last hours of daylight the solitary animal was very shy and on the move keeping to very thick cover which raised initial doubts as to whether there would be an opportunity to immobilise her. Emboldened by the onset of nightfall however, as is typical of lions, the lioness relaxed considerably and came rather willingly to bait and call-up – allowing a successful darting shortly after sundown. Induction was smooth and uneventful and Team C quickly set to work, firstly to ascertain the location of the intraabdominal implant by palpation and then, once located, to surgically remove the implant in what was an impressive surgical procedure under challenging field conditions in the dark. From an anaesthetic point of view the animal was impressively stable throughout the procedure and was up an ambulatory within a short time of the antidotes having been administered. As well as removal of the implant, clinical samples were collected and all teams had the opportunity to get up close to the animal, ask questions, take photos, etc. The lion immobilisation practical was one of the smoothest and most well organised practicals of the entire course and Team C and their Team Leaders/Captains are to be commended on a job very well done. Figure 7: Lion immobilisation (photo courtesy Mrs Lorna York) Tuesday 11th February 2014 – Day 4 Day 4 saw an extra early start as participants deployed to the field at 05Hr00 for a 05Hr45 start of the giraffe capture conducted by Team A. Giraffe immobilisation; A Team: early morning Day 4 Due to the specialised nature of giraffe capture which requires a carefully coordinated team effort to rope the animal and bring it down after darting, Team A had been practicing their team giraffe roping skills during every spare moment during the preceding 3 days. All team members were allocated specific tasks and were well drilled and rehearsed by team lecturers Dr Pete Morkel & Dr Richard Burroughs with support from the team captains. Figure 8: Team A practicing their giraffe roping skills (photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) The Malilangwe Trust 13 On the morning of the practical it was fortunate that a suitable group of animals was found close to an open area which lent itself to darting and roping of the animal. The animal was darted from the helicopter by one of the team A members and after a couple of failed roping attempts the animal disappeared into thick woodland and tripped itself up on low scrub, The animal was immediately given the antidote before being blind-folded and ear-plugged. Due to the thick bush it was decided not to “walk” the animal so the surrounding scrub was cleared before releasing the animal. Figure 9: left-to-right from top left: i) attempted roping ; ii) the animal heading off into thick woodland; iii) clearing space around the animal; iv) a member of team A administering prophylactic antibiotics to treat the dart wound (photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) The Malilangwe Trust 14 Elephant Immobilisation; Team D; Day 4 Immediately after release of the giraffe Team D began preparation for immobilisation of an elephant bull. The elephant was darted from the helicopter by a student member of the team and went down uneventfully. While the elephant was down all teams were afforded the opportunity to get up close to the animal and get exposure to the clinical sampling and physiological monitoring procedures being undertaken by Team D. At this stage, students had the opportunity to ask questions on any aspect of the exercise. Figure 10: elephant immobilisation- Team D (Photos Courtesy Mrs Lorna York) After the debrief discussion regarding the elephant immobilisation all teams returned to camp for breakfast and continuation of lectures. White Rhino capture and ear-notching - Team B: afternoon of Day 4 Malilangwe Field Rangers reported a sighting of a juvenile White Rhino that required darting and ear notching. Accordingly, all necessary equipment, drugs and consumables were handed over from the giraffe team to the rhino team- Team B - and the entire group of course participants deployed further south to the general area in which the animal and his group had been sighted. Overall the procedure was without any untoward incident. Figure 11: left-to-right i) Mr Colin Wenham, Wildlife Manager of Malilangwe, applying surgical clamps to the ears of the immobilised rhino in preparation to surgically notching the ear margins to denote an individual identity of this animal; ii) being a humid day Team B used all at their disposal to keep the animal cool. (Photos Courtesy Mrs Lorna York) The Malilangwe Trust 15 Wednesday 12th February 2014- Day 5 Day 5 started at a mass-capture plastic boma site set up by African Wildlife Management Consultants (AWMC) – to demonstrate one of the most commonly used mass capture techniques employed for the capture and translocation of a wide array of African wildlife species over several decades. The basic “plastic boma” consists of a wide-mouthed funnel of rugged woven sheeting suspended from taught cables, camouflaged in the bush. Animals are herded and chased by helicopter into the boma, which has a series of “gates” that can be successively drawn closed behind the animals as they are chased deeper into the funnel towards the crush and ramp used for loading them into trucks for transport. This particular boma had been constructed for the capture of Zebra with a team of course participants manning the internal boma gates. After some considerable effort on the part of the helicopter a family group of five zebra were captured and chased to the reinforced crush area at the front apex of the boma where Teams A & B, having prepared darts, darted two individuals in the crush area. Figure 12: Zebra Darting, anti-clockwise from top: i) closing the capture boma; ii) a student prepares to dart one of the animals under instruction from Josh Mostert iii) team B monitoring and sampling an immobilised zebra in the crush area of the boma. (Photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) The Malilangwe Trust 16 Once all procedures and sample collections had been completed the animals were given an IM shot of antidote (standard procedure in this species which tend to wake up explosively if the antidote is administered IV) and once they were compos mentis all animals were released. Upon conclusion of the Zebra capture debrief the participants returned to Hakamela for breakfast followed by continuation of lectures while Malilangwe management staff scouted for hippo. Once it had been ascertained that there were suitable hippo present the entire course group deployed to Simbiri Dam for a demonstration in hippo capture. A hippo was darted from the shoreline by Malilangwe Wildlife Manager Colin Wenham. The drug combination used was selected so as not to abolish the breathing and dive reflexes of the darted animal and after a protracted recovery operation, using a boat, the animal was towed to shore and given further sedation before being winched onto the bank, monitored and sampled. After administration of the antidotes, the hippo made an uneventful, if slow, recovery before standing up and moving back out into deep water. Overall, the practical was successful and was a good demonstration of an emerging technique that is very useful in management of this species which has hitherto been very problematic to capture and work with within its watery habitat. Figure 13: Hippo capture: i) darting party trying to get a rope on the drug-affected hippo; ii) towing the hippo towards the shore iii) sampling & monitoring the animal on shore iv) hippo getting to its feet before moving off upon completion of the exercise (photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) After conclusion of the hippo capture, the course group returned to Hakamela Camp for lunch followed by theory and practical instruction in helicopter darting. The topic was introduced in a formal lecture by helicopter pilot John McTaggart before the participants were disbanded into their Teams for team-based practical instruction on helicopter darting by team lecturers and captains according to a predetermined protocol for the practical to follow. After theoretical and practical instruction on helicopter darting, two teams at a time were deployed to the nearby old airstrip where all course participants were given the opportunity to fire an empty dart from the airborne helicopter at a The Malilangwe Trust 17 moving target towed on a trailer behind a moving vehicle to give students as realistic a simulation of live helicopter darting as possible. In accordance with the natural tendency towards competition in these situations, students marked their darts with their names and teams competed for the highest aggregate score in the helicopter darting practical – with Team A taking top honours for the fourth year in a row. Figure 14: helicopter darting practical - i) all students got the opportunity to dart the moving target towed behind the vehicle on the old airstrip; ii) as usual, there was fierce competition between students to hit the centre of the target- painted in the likeness of a rhino's rump (Photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) Thursday 13th February 2014 – Day 6 Day 6 began at 06Hr00 at a net-boma capture site again very kindly and efficiently constructed by AWMC. Net-boma capture is another common mass capture technique commonly employed for smaller species such as Impala, Nyala, Blesbok, Springbok, etc. The helicopter was used to drive a herd of impala into the net boma. Once animals were caught in the nets they were physically restrained for sampling for FMD-serology (Impala are an important potential “intermediate” incidental host for FMD albeit for very short periods) before being released. Figure 15: Impala net-boma capture: i) Impala coming into the boma – just about to hit the nets; ii) releasing one of the animals at the end of the exercise (photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) After breakfast, and the final few theory lectures, all teams deployed to the old airstrip for a demonstration on the use of a net-gun. The Malilangwe Trust 18 Figure 16: Dr Markus Hofmeyr of SANParks, demonstrating the firing of a net-gun from John McTaggart's helicopter (Photos courtesy Mrs Lorna York) During the early afternoon session, Teams C & D completed their helicopter darting practical before Team D undertook a well-run operation to immobilise, load and translocate a large adult buffalo bull to another part of the game reserve. On Thursday evening, a social braai was hosted at Hakamela as a thank-you to our Malilangwe hosts whose staff and management team had been as helpful and as supportive as ever. The occasion was used as an opportunity to make a vote of thanks to individual Malilangwe team members and various other people and contributors. The Woody Meltzer Prize for best “first-timer” student was awarded to Dr Kobus Hoffman of Group A, with a number of close runners-up being mentioned from among what had been a particularly strong student group. Friday 14th February 2014 – Day 7 As usual, Day 7 was dedicated as a study day for students ahead of the examinations on the following day. Course instructors gathered for a course debrief meeting to discuss various highlights, issues, problems and solutions noted during the course so as to refine the course in following years. Students spent the day studying individually, in small groups or in teams according to their preference. Informal revision tuition groups were offered by several instructors and these revision sessions were as invaluable as for those struggling with certain concepts or information ahead of the examination. Saturday 15th February 2014- Exam Day After a light breakfast, those writing the exam, including all sponsored students, gathered in the lecture theatre for a 2.5 hour invigilated written examination. The written examination was followed by full breakfast, in turn followed by oral examinations comprising 2 x 20 minute panels- the first being more theory-based with the second panel being more practical-based. Exam papers were marked by the relevant lecturers during the course of the day and certificates presented to the students during the evening meal. It was a testament to the tutors and team captains as well as to the positive participation of the students themselves that all 20 candidates passed the examination this year. Sunday 16th February 2014 All students and lecturers departed early in the morning. The organising team packed up all equipment and departed for Harare by mid-morning. The Malilangwe Trust 19 Acknowledgements and thanks As ever on these courses the support from Malilangwe and her staff is absolutely monumental. Special thanks must go to Mark Saunders, CEO of Malilangwe, for his unwavering support and interest in this course - and to Colin Wenham, wildlife manager and field practical coordinator, for all his hard work behind the scenes lining up a never-ending procession of field practicals for the students; to Ruth Dabbs for taking time to present a very informative CPR and first aid demonstration lecture; to Dr Bruce Clegg for assisting to locate animals for field practicals; to Jason Turner and his hospitality team for the accommodation, house-keeping, laundry and the food; to Minkey Smithright for coordination of practicals at the Malilangwe Game pens; to Brad Fouche for being such a central and helpful team captain for Team A – thank you all very much. The course is privileged to be held on such a beautiful reserve staffed by such committed and positive individuals. Special thanks must also go to the Wildlife Veterinary Unit and in particular to Dr Chaitezvi for his on-going support and his participation as an instructor and as team captain for Team C, for the loan of equipment from the WVU and for his assistance in expediting the border crossing for our RSA colleagues crossing at Beitbridge – thank you very much. To all members of African Wildlife Management Consultants (AWMC) – Mike & NJ la Grange, Josh & Jacqui Mostert and your team- thanks for your awesome contribution, equipment and efforts towards making the course a great successnot to mention a safer place for those in the vicinity of the darting ranges. To all sponsors & supporters, thank you very much for your contributions – your support is greatly appreciated. To the organising team- especially Jaelle Claypole and Greg Foggin who worked tirelessly to prepare, clean, pack, fix, organise and arrange all kit and consumables for the course – thank you very much. To John Mctaggart - thank you so much for all that you give to the course, for your time, for your helicopter and for your material and personal inputs. Thank you. To all the instructors who are so willing to share their immense collective knowledge and experience- you all make this course what it is and long may it grow from strength to strength. Thank you all so much for your time and travel and effort. To Lorna York for all your customary hassle-free “can do” attitude and for all your hard work, organisation and communication throughout the year- thank you very much. To the course students – thanks to you all for your positive participation and willingness to learn which makes it all worthwhile. We wish you all the very best in your future endeavours and we hope that we will see you return soon – a few years wiser and still eager to learn. Thank you all. 2015 Course Details: Dates: Friday 6th to Sunday 15th February, 2015 Venue: The Malilangwe Trust, Chiredzi, Zimbabwe The Malilangwe Trust
