Rescued grysbokkie doing well
We promised an update on the grysbokkie that was rescued last week after she was spotted in an urban green field, on the wrong side of the Main Road in Hermanus. On closer inspection, she was found to be injured and, on top of that, pregnant.
She was transported to a vet, who splinted the fractured hoof bone. A safe place on a farm in the Valley was offered where she could recuperate until the hoof healed and the fawn delivered.
So what has happened since then? The most urgent thing was to reduce any stress on the bokkie to avoid a miscarriage. Then it was vital to find out what to feed her to maintain good nutrition for both mom and fawn. Her care team offered her a selection of fynbos plants each evening. Grysbokkies are nocturnal, so they eat at night. In the morning, it was easy to see what species she had browsed overnight.
To make sure she was getting enough nutrition, she was also given lucerne, which is a good staple animal feed. As expected, bokkie loved the lucerne and polished off everything. She also ate a bit of each of the fynbos species offered, but she especially liked dried eucalyptus leaves from branches that were used to make a screen in her pen. That was a bit surprising. Bokkie also kept regular toilet habits – a good indication that she was eating well.
After about a week in captivity, it was decided that bokkie should go to the vet for a check-up to make sure the hoof is healing correctly. A handicapped antelope would be very vulnerable in the wild and may not be able to raise her fawn. There is a chance that neither mom nor baby would survive.
The vet sedated her, and the splint and bandage were removed from her leg and X-rays taken. To everyone’s delight, the bone in her hoof was starting to heal in the correct position. It was decided not to replace the splint. It will be better to keep her quiet in captivity until the bone is sufficiently healed to release her into Fernkloof Nature Reserve.
And what about the baby? While it was not possible to tell how imminent the birth is, an ultrasound showed a little heart beating beautifully. So good news for both Bokkie and baby – not to mention her human carers.
Please donate towards the Whale Coast Conservation Wildlife Fund to cover vets’ cost for any wild animal that needs our help. Contact sheraine.wcc@gmail.com for details of the fund.