Picking up the pieces - new life and hope at Twala Trust

Photo above: Baby Bird was so grief-stricken at losing her human family that she ripped out her feathers.

I am just back from time in Africa, during which I went to visit our dear friends at Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary, including the sanctuary’s untiring and huge-hearted founder, Sarah Carter.

As regular readers will know, Twala Trust offers not only free vet care, pet food and other support to pet owners in one of Zimbabwe’s poorest communities. It also offers a forever home to any animal who needs it. In a climate of economic crises, volatility and desperation, Twala is a beacon of hope for more beings than most of us can imagine.

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Sarah showed me into one of Twala’s spacious, light-filed aviaries to introduce me to some of of the new residents. I felt a stab at the heart the moment I met Baby Bird (above), an African Grey parrot, whose trauma was visible.

When Baby Bird’s family had to emigrate - the economy in Zimbabwe has forced about a quarter of the population to move - they asked Sarah to take her on. Baby Bird was so grief-stricken at losing her human family that she ripped out her feathers. Even now, despite the fact that many feathers have regrown, bits of her pink/grey skin still show through.

This is not unusual behaviour for parrots. When they grieve, they quite literally tear at their heart.

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Nearby, I met Bobby who lived with an elderly lady who in her latter years was bedridden. He spent all his time in her bedroom with her - they were the closest companions. After she had a stroke, her family reached out to Sarah to ask if a plan could be made for Bobby when the inevitable happened - this would be reassuring to his owner.

After she passed, Bobby came to Twala. He too, pulled out his feathers in grief. He has been at Twala longer than Baby Bird. Slowly he is adjusting to his new life.

Photo above: Bobby’s elderly lady companion died. He too has been grief stricken, but is slowly healing.

Baby Bird, Bobby and other African Greys are in varying stages of coming to terms with loss, be it of a human or avian partner. Parrots who have only ever known a life of captivity, lack all coping skills for the bush. There is no possibility of them being rewilded.

These are animals who live long lives - up to 70 years in captivity. When I asked Sarah if she might try to rehome any of them, she said she wouldn’t. What if an African Grey was to be taken in by someone, and bonded tightly with them, only for them to have to leave the country, or give them up for some other reason? The birds would, once again, have to endure the seemingly unendurable. There is much greater stability and comfort to be found as part of a flock of fellow African Greys, among whom bonds and connections are slowly unfolding.

There will come a day when Baby Bird and Bobby are, once again, fully feathered and joyful. It takes time, patience and a lot of loving kindness from the Twala team.

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In picking up the pieces for all the many lonely and grief-stricken animals, Sarah and her team treat each one of them as individuals. When Sarah meets you at the gates, along with some of the pack of 60 dogs who live there, she doesn’t shout out generally to dogs who need to move. She calls them by name. Each animal has his or her own story. Sarah and her team know them all.

A number of you fell in love with Spike, who I introduced you to a few weeks ago, illuminating the theme of living with gratitude in a world of suffering. Spike completely lost the use of her hind legs during an unknown accident, and was surrendered to Twala. But this in no way prevents her from getting on with life.

Photo above: Spike, wearing her brown jacket, takes part in all the activities at Twala with joyous perseverance, despite having lost the use of her hind legs. An inspiration to us all..

Being Twala, Spike’s own specific needs have been tended to, so that when all the other dogs go out for their daily walk, she can join them!

Photo above: Spike in her harness and wheels, ready for a walk to the dam with the rest of the Twala pack.

Where would Spike be if it weren’t for Twala? It doesn’t bear thinking of. Nor the fate of all the other dogs at Twala, many of whom have been ‘retired’ because they are too old to be effective guard dogs in the local community.

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Just this week, another different Spike appeared at Twala. In Sarah’s words:

Spike is part of a family of three dogs who came to Doggy Tuesday (Twala’s community outreach program which you support), in desperate need of help. Severely malnourished, unvaccinated, not sterilized, reactive and frightened, they arrived in a chaotic melee of dogs because Spot, one of the female dogs, was in season. We got them all vaccinated and whisked Spot and her father Danger off to the 24 Hour Vet for sterilisation.

Spike was lactating, bursting with milk for a litter of puppies who had all died. She was emaciated, grieving and also had a deep wound on her leg. We kept Spike in hospital, feeding her the nutritious regular meals she needs to regain her strength, treating her wound and providing pain relief. The treatment itself has been further trauma for Spike because she is so frightened of people.

This morning we had a little breakthrough - just a fleeting moment of acknowledgement that there can be love and kindness from the hands of humans.

Video above: The first acknowledgement by Spike of Sarah’s loving kindness.

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To me, Sarah embodies the bodhisattva ideal, thinking of others more than herself. She and her vet husband Vinay live in a modest home at Twala, and from before dawn until well after dusk they devote their time to the many animals who rely on them. They do all this with no Government support at all.

In a country filled with poor, exhausted, desperate people, pets - and animals in general - are frequently at the very bottom of the priority list when it comes to mouths to feed, and health to be cared for.

Sarah, Vinay and the Twala team are there for the animals that no one else wants. For those who have been physically or emotionally broken. Who are marginalised, grief-stricken and starving. None of this is an exaggeration.

Sarah and her team heal the sick, make the lame walk and comfort the afflicted. They offer love and compassion to the most vulnerable beings, not only picking up the pieces of shattered lives, but providing a place of hope and joy.

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To all of you who are paying subscribers to this newsletter, my heartfelt thanks for helping me support Twala. There simply aren’t the words to express what a deep and significant difference you make to the lives of so many beings.

If you aren’t a paying subscriber, and can afford to be one, please do consider joining our virtual, global community of supporters. By combining our small, monthly donations together we are already creating change.

Let’s continue to be the light and love we wish to see in the world!

Photo above: With Sarah Carter, Founder of Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary, whose loving compassion is both extraordinary and humbling.