Thank you for rescuing us from an ocean of suffering

From Sarah Carter at The Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary

Photo: some of the traumatised and orphaned vervet monkeys and kittens who have formed close bonds

Dear David and Substack supporters,

We have had a very busy few months at Twala, both with our Doggy Tuesday community outreach programme, and with many wildlife rescues too.

Doggy Tuesday remains a vital lifeline for the rural dogs in Goromonzi, with hundreds of dogs attending the free veterinary clinic each week to access the care they need, including weekly parasite control, aswell as enjoying a nutritious and substantial meal on site with supplementary food to take home to see the dogs through the week.

Thanks to a generous donation of rope we were able to make two hundred safe and comfortable leashes to replace the homemade leashes that can cause injuries and discomfort to the dogs. All dogs are also protected against fly strike, with every single dog having an effective, home made fly repellent applied to their ears. On a busy Tuesday, that’s around 1 000 ears!

Making leashes to replace those made from wire and plastic that can cause such discomfort

Over the past 4 months, we have provided 8 800 meals for rural dogs in low income households, vaccinated over 300 dogs for rabies, parvo virus and distemper, sterilised 64 dogs, and treated over 300 dogs for various veterinary issues that have included everything from broken legs, chemotherapy for cancerous growths, poisoning, attacks from wild animals, dental issues, mange and flea allergies,encephalitis, maggot infestations (something we deal with quite often in the rainy season), dog fights,tick bite fever, fungal infections, and a whole host of minor ailments as well.

Anxious little owner with his sicky puppy - helped on Doggy Tuesday

We are on call 24/7 for emergencies – help for sick and injured dogs is not just available on Tuesdays. Most days we have at least one dog coming to our gate needing treatment, and we will be called out to dogs whose owners cannot get them to Twala several times a week as well. This includes call outs for rabid dogs, road traffic accidents, stray dogs, snake bites and cruelty cases. We have also made at least two visits a month to vulnerable households where owners are unable to bring their dogs to us each week, so we have delivered dog food and provided veterinary care on site as needed.

Elderly dog enjoys his own bowl of food during a visit - many households can’t afford to feed their dogs without suppport

Heading into the community is always a special day for us and our volunteers, as we are made so welcome and it is good to see the dogs in the homes they protect so loyally, with the people that they love. There are always interesting things to see as we travel around, and we are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area of Zimbabwe.

Heading out on a community visit

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A hugely positive development at Twala has been the resumption of a surgical list in our own onsite clinic. Twice a month, a vet from Harare comes out to the sanctuary and performs sterilisations and other basic surgeries. The dogs are kept in the quarantine centre that was funded by you and your wonderful supporters, and this is a safe contained space for the dogs to recover in. This has made life a lot less stressful now we are not constantly having to transport dogs into Harare, although the 24 Hour Vet surgery still does the more complex surgical procedures, and takes the critically ill dogs into hospital care there.

Sterilization being performed at our onsite clinic

As part of our community outreach service, we are always available to assist with any injured or displaced wildlife in our area. A monkey with a snare deeply embedded around his head, pulled across his mouth and cutting right into his cheeks, was reported to us and we were able to trap him and remove the snare after following him for two days. This was a a challenging operation because the snare was so deep and had been there for so long. The monkey had lost some of his molar teeth as the snare was stretched so tightly around his skull. It is hard to imagine the terrible suffering this animal experienced and we were very thankful to be able to relieve his pain and release him back to his troop.

The monkey with the snare - removed by surgery

We also provided treatment to several Bells hinged back tortoises, who appear at the beginning of the rainy season from their months long hibernation in leaf mould, compost heaps and burrows under rocks, and who inevitably meet up with humans and dogs and suffer various mishaps from vehicles, farm implements, and curious canines. These tortoises are treated and generally released back to a life of freedom.

Our wildlife nursery has never been so busy. We are caring for 4 orphaned vervet monkeys, all of whom lost their mothers under traumatic circumstances and arrived bewildered, frightened and in once case injured from stones thrown by passersby.

William, the monkey who had been stoned by passers-by. Now very loved and cared for.

During the same period, we rescued 3 beautiful kittens who were literally swept out with the rubbish from a feed store in a nearby town. Starving, sick and terrified, the kittens had also lost their mum and would not have survived another few hours in the sun in the car park they had been discarded in. All these broken little beings have formed an intense and deeply loving bond, with the kittens and monkeys providing the most wonderful comfort and companionship for each other as they heal and settle in to their new life at Twala. They are together constantly, playing, cuddling, grooming each other, and always sleeping in a glorious pile of tails, paws and purring. This has been one of the loveliest bonds we have ever experienced.

The monkey will eventually join our free ranging troop of rescued monkeys who live on and around the sanctuary, where we provide supplementary food and any care they may need but where they have the freedom to go wherever they please.

William with volunteer Rebekah

We also provided a home for 2 chinchillas, yet another addition to the many species of unwanted exotic pets that have been surrendered to us. What a long way from their natural habitat in the Andes mountains these dear little creatures are, but we have given them the best life possible at Twala with a quiet, spacious area to live in with the enrichment and very specialised care that they need.

Hedgehogs, owls, a crow, a delightful grey turaco, known as the Go Away Bird because their call sounds the alarm for wild animals at the approach of any kind of potential threat, terrapins, leopard tortoises, and a very chatty African grey parrot called Chumley, who has a passion for gardening (he’s an adept digger of holes, usually in the middle of the lawn, and can prune a shrub with his beak in minutes…) have all found a safe haven at Twala recently. We were able to release 6 African hedgehogs back to the wild, as well as 3 eagle owls.

The orphaned monkey and kittens provide wonderful companionship at Twala

The support that you so generously provide for our community outreach programmes makes a world of difference to so many animals, both domestic and wild, and to the people that live here. Being able to respond to calls for help, and being able to maintain a constant and reliable presence in the area has built up such a strong and beneficial relationship between Twala and the residents of the Chinyani rural area. We never turn an animal away, and we always go to help when we are needed. That is possible thanks to your kindness. We are so very grateful.

With love and thanks

Sarah

Sarah Carter

Twala Trust

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Hi Readers,

David here. I like to publish Sarah’s letters in full - she writes them so beautifully and always accompanied by photos which bring home the immediacy of how we’re helping.They really speak to my heart - and I hope yours too.

Raising funds for Twala, and our other charities, is one of the main reasons why I write this newsletter.

If you are able, our little community here on Substack would love to welcome you as a paying subscriber.

What you get each Saturday is an article or story from me, sharing the wisdom I have learned from my own lamas. More important in some ways is what you give: love, compassion and hope, manifest in the most practical ways, as Sarah illustrates above.

I very much hope that you may join our community of kindred spirits on this journey of compassion and wisdom.

Warmest wishes,

David