Asendle Trust

Written by Jenni of Baboon Matters

It has been a tough year for Baboon Management as restrictive budgets have led to various labour relation problems. But this appeal is not about baboons or budgets. This is about the baboon monitors.

I am watching this team struggle – extremely limited wages; the extreme cold and abundant rain this year, ever increasing food prices, as well as personal family crisis.

This week it was fires.

Last weekend one monitor lost his home and clothes to fire and today another 3 men lost ALL THEIR WORDLY POSSESSIONS when a fire raged through Masiphumelele.

When I arrived with food and some financial support for the affected men, the scene was chaotic – furniture everywhere as people had tried to save whatever they could. I was deeply saddened by what I saw –
imagine living it…

This is Vuyisile Mayedwa

When we heard of the fire, Marlei dropped what she was doing and dashed through to Tokai to take Vuyisile home to Masiphumelele. He was a nervous wreck as he contemplated his cardboard shack, with wife Sylvia and their young family inside, and the huge fire approaching. Sylvia has recently given birth to extremely premature twins, the one has a heart condition and problem on his tiny leg – this involves heart surgery and trips to Groote Schuur and Red Cross – travelling costs alone are crippling this little family.
Vuyisile’s relief at finding his wife and children safe was palpable.

Mzwakhe Vanga was not so lucky. Last week in the middle of those incredible downpours he lost his home, and everything he owns, as a result of a neighbour’s electric fire.
This is the second time he has lost everything to fire.
Mzwakhe’s year has been tragic – his much loved oldest sister died as a result of a stroke. Mzwakhe assumed responsibility for his sister’s stepson, and this poor young man was involved in a terrible car accident in which both his legs were badly broken – this has involved many operations and much time in hospital for the youngster.
Mzwakhe’s young daughter lost all her clothes in the fire, she was in Masiphumelele on
school holiday and lost everything!
Yet Mzwakhe retains his easy going disposition, always a cheerful smile and hello – I am sure that many residents will recognise him as he has been with the project for 10 years now.

Aaron Dlokolo is a tall, quiet man who battles with a bad stutter. He has recently been promoted to supervisor and he is a diligent worker. When I found Aaron this afternoon, he was covered in ash and his hands full of mud – his wardrobe was too big to fit through the door of his shack, as the fire approached he frantically tried to pull the door apart and get his furniture out – but ended up losing everything.

Matshawandile Mjempu – has had a difficult past and late last year ended up in Pollsmoor Prison for four months – as a result of a mistake!! There was no charge against the young man but none of the authorities allowed him a phone call or lawyer…. He emerged from Pollsmoor looking like a ghost. Today he lost everything he owns –apart from the clothes he was wearing.

Steve Khumbulani Ndlebe – what a character! Full of nonsense as some young men are – but fast! Quick and efficient with the baboons – as well as quick with a comment! How sad to see him shaking and looking beaten by life today, his eyes fill of tears – no comments this time, just a quiet thanks for the food and cash I brought. I hope to see Khumbulani full of talk again soon…

If you are prepared to help, we urgently need the following:

* Money to purchase building materials
* Bedding – especially blankets
* Clothing – all ages from babies to men
* Kitchen utensils
* Any items that may no longer be of service to you

Cash can be deposited into the Baboon Matter Trust account – marked “monitors – fire”. The account details are:
Baboon Matters Trust
Standard Bank
Blue Route
Account No - 270040080
Branch code – 025609

I know I make many appeals – normally for the baboons, but today it is the monitors who need your support.
Please help where you can.

Thank you!
Jenni and the Baboon Matters Team

Around two-thirds of the world’s chameleons are native to Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world and the 12th poorest country in the world. It is situated off the southeast coast of Africa, home to nearly all the remaining species of chameleons. There are a few other species from places like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, southern Spain and India, and chameleons are also found on several of the small islands near Madagascar and Africa like the Seychelles and Comoros.
Some countries, like Kenya and South Africa have voluntarily banned exportation of their endemic species of chameleons for the commercial pet trade and others have legislation governing collection and exportation. The formal basis for the protection of chameleons is the regulation of international trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES lists all chameleon species, with the exception of species in the genera Brookesia and Rhampholeon, on Appendix II, defined as “all species which although not necessarily now threatened with extinction may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.” All of the countries that have endemic chameleon species are parties to CITES and must abide by CITES rulings.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has identified eight chameleon species at various levels of extinction risk on the IUCN Red List:

Bradypodion nemorale (Africa) - Near Threatened
Bradypodion taeniabronchum (Africa) - Critically Endangered
Bradypodion setaroi (Africa) - Endangered
Bradypodion thamnobates (Africa) - Near Threatened
Brookesia perarmata (Madagascar) - Vulnerable
Furcifer campani (Madagascar) - Vulnerable
Furcifer labordi (Madagascar) - Vulnerable
Furcifer minor (Madagascar) - Vulnerable

(The only species on this list that is not currently prohibited from trade is Brookesia perarmata.) Unfortunately, this list is incomplete as there are many more chameleon species that meet the criteria for several of the extinction risk categories defined by the IUCN.

Habitat Loss:

Almost without exception, the natural habitats of wild chameleons are under heavy pressure from rapidly growing human populations with few resources for survival other than nature. The same trees that are home to chameleons are cut down to build housing and may be the only source of fuel for cooking and warmth in many underdeveloped countries. Forests are also cleared to provide grazing land for cattle and crops like rice, which does not provide an alternate habitat for arboreal animals like chameleons. Many agricultural crops like mango, lychee, coffee, avocado, breadfruit, and cacao do provide refuge for chameleon populations, but are not an ideal substitute for natural forest. Many species will not thrive in altered environments, particularly species that require rain forest or have other specific habitat requirements. When most of these species’ preferred habitat disappears, they may disappear with it.

Some chameleon populations will survive long into the future because the establishment of parks or reserves protects their natural habitat. Some chameleon species will survive because they adapted to degraded habitat and the presence of humans, but there is no question that some species are at high risk for extinction if conservation measures are not enacted soon to protect small, fragile populations of rare species.

Collection for the Pet Trade:

Habitat loss and fragmentation is undoubtedly the most serious conservation issue for chameleons, but the future of wild chameleons is also threatened by escalating collection for the pet trade. From 1993 to 1998, more than 250,000 chameleons were exported from Africa, Yemen and the Seychelles. During the same time period, more than 226,000 were exported from Madagascar for a grand total exceeding 476,000 chameleons (source: World Conservation Monitoring Centre). Of this astronomical figure, it is likely that less than 1% of these chameleons are still alive today. Many of the commonly exported species have a long history in herpetoculture, but have consistently failed to survive long-term or reproduce often (if at all). One of them is Chamaeleo senegalensis (Senegal chameleons), a species that rarely survives more than a few months after exportation, and does not have a history of successful breeding in captivity, yet from 1988-1994 nearly 70,000 were imported to the U.S. alone, and from 1993-1998, more than 78,000 were exported worldwide.

Other species from Africa imported in large numbers (more than 10,000 in a 5-year period) that demonstrate low survivability and have not reproduced well or consistently in captivity include Ch. gracilis (Graceful chameleon), Ch. dilepis (Flap-neck chameleon) and Ch. melleri (Meller’s chameleon). Species in this category from Madagascar include C. brevicornis (Short-horned chameleon), F. campani (Jeweled chameleon), F. lateralis (Carpet chameleon), and C. parsonii (Parson’s chameleon). Purchasing imported specimens of these species is not recommended. It is in the best interests of conservation of these species and the financial interests of the hobbyist to encourage the commercial trade to stop importation. If you have questions about the captive history of a species or need assistance with selecting a chameleon species, please contact the CiN. For more information on the history of chameleons in herpetoculture including exportation figures, order CiN No. 38. For additional information on exportation from Madagascar including CITES regulations, order CiN No. 32.
How You Can Help with Chameleon Conservation
Support conservation organizations:

You can help conserve natural habitat by supporting these organizations:

• • World Wildlife Fund
  • Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments
  • Conservation International
  • Wildlife Conservation Society
  • World Conservation Union (IUCN)
  • Madagascar Fauna Group

or any other organizations that are dedicated to conserving the fragile and disappearing natural environments of chameleons in places like Madagascar and Africa. Support organizations like the Chameleon information Network, Animal Ark, and Animal Welfare Institute who are actively working to raise awareness of these issues.
Do not purchase chameleons that are imported illegally, and support the efforts to control trade and stop illegal trafficking in chameleons of organizations like:

• • CITES
  • TRAFFIC

Personal Choices:

You will help conserve rare and delicate species by making conscientious choices when you acquire chameleons for your own collection and by communicating your preferences to retailers. For species recommendations please contact the CiN.

For popular species that have demonstrated adaptability to captivity through long-term survival and reproduction such as F. pardalis (Panther chameleons), well-run breeding programs can help reduce the pressures on wild populations by supplying healthy captive-born chameleons in place of wild-caught specimens to the hobbyist market. Cooperate with other breeders in managing ethical programs for species that reproduce well in captivity, and provide educational support to inexperienced buyers to increase the survival rate of captive-born chameleons. Reward the efforts of responsible breeders by purchasing their captive-bred chameleons instead of wild-caught, imported chameleons.
If you are concerned by the mistreatment or poor condition of chameleons in retail stores, boycott establishments that stock sick or injured chameleons, or maintain chameleons inappropriately and inform the owner(s) or corporate officers in writing of the reasons for your decision. Remember that rescuing an abused chameleon from a pet store by paying the selling price may result in another chameleon taking its place to face a similar fate. If we eliminate the market for diseased and injured chameleons and species that do not fare well in captivity, we will remove the financial incentive for irresponsible people to continue capturing, exporting and selling these chameleons.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions on the topic of chameleon conservation, please send them to the CiN, 13419 Appalachian Way, San Diego, California 92129 USA, or E-mail chamnet1@aol.com. Thank you.

This report has been compiled by Belinda Ashton and Nick Chevallier

 

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of porcupine quills and quill
products on display in retail and décor outlets around South Africa. These products show a
distinct and sophistication in design and are clearly being produced on a large scale
to supply the growing trend towards Afrocentriscism within the retail, décor, tourism and
hospitality industries.
As we know that porcupines only shed their quills occasionally, it is not possible that these
quills are being obtained through non-lethal harvesting in the veld. Many people have noticed
this wide scale availability of quill products in South Africa and have expressed a concern
about the possible negative impact that the quill trade must be having on the ecological
integrity of the species.
This report has been commissioned by IFAW to explore every facet of the quill trade, in order
to assess the extent and impact of the trade from a biological, conservation and human
perspective.
The Cape porcupine Hystrix africaeaustralis is an Old World porcupine that occurs
throughout the entire southern African sub-region, except in extremely arid areas such as the
interior of the Namib Desert. They have a preference for environments that offer shelter
during the day, as they spend the daylight hours resting in their burrows and then go out at
night to forage for the bulbs, roots, tubers and other plant matter that comprise the bulk of
their diet. Porcupines are monogamous animals and live in extended family groups consisting
of an adult male and female and their offspring. Contrary to the popular opinion that as they
are rodents they must breed prolifically, there is no evidence of a female having more than
one litter per year within a free-ranging population, and one to four young, with an average of
two, are born in a grass-lined chamber in the burrows during summer.
The porcupine is without doubt a controversial animal, in that on the one hand it plays an
important role within localised biodiversity functioning by increasing bulb diversity in its
diggings, and yet on the other hand it is generally perceived as being a problem animal within
farming communities, where its eating habits have brought it into direct confrontation with
farmers.
As the development of urbanisation and agriculture has intensified in recent years, natural
habitats have been displaced, and this has had a very negative impact on porcupine
populations throughout the country. One cannot assess the quill trade without first taking into
account the negative image of the porcupine within an agricultural context, as it is on the
farms that the wide scale hunting and killing of porcupines originated and continues.
Porcupines are drawn to areas where there is an abundance of food and this frequently brings
them into the vicinity of crop farms and orchards and therefore into contact with humans. The
porcupine’s wasteful eating habit of biting into a vegetable and then discarding it, has
garnered considerable negative feelings towards the species amongst farmers. Porcupine
burrows also create obstacles for farm vehicles, which lead to time-consuming and costly
inconveniences to the farmer and the burrows also provide sanctuary for other perceived
problem animals. As porcupines have strong incisors that are accustomed to biting through
tough and fibrous plant matter, they are also able to bite their way through agricultural
fencing, which is often costly to repair and creates access to other perceived problem animals
such as jackals. In the arid regions of the country, porcupines are frequently known to bite
through agricultural water pipes to gain access to water and this has created much antagonism
towards the species.
All these factors have engendered a very negative attitude towards the porcupine and most
farmers deal with the problem by encouraging the hunting and extermination of porcupines on
their farms. Ironically, the localised killing of porcupines creates an ecological dynamic that
compounds the original problem, as other females move into a territory when a dominant
female is killed and when they start breeding, the number of porcupines in the area increases
proportionately.
Although the porcupine’s elaborate armament of quills and spines provides it with adequate
protection from predation in the wilds, within a rural and urban context it has no defence
against the impact of man. Porcupines are regularly trapped and shot at by irate farmers and in
many rural communities, hunting parties consisting of farm labourers and packs of dogs
regularly go out at night to hunt them. A soft spot on the forehead means that the animal is
swiftly killed by a direct blow to the head. Once the porcupine has been killed, the farm
labourers happily eat the meat, and the quills are either burned or discarded, or cleaned with
disinfectant and then sorted into bundles, to be collected by porcupine quill dealers, who
travel out to the farms from the cities. In recent years, with the growing increase in the
aesthetic appreciation of quills, these dealers are known to encourage farm labourers to hunt
porcupines specifically for the trade by offering them money or commodities and thereby
providing a lucrative incentive to hunt them.
The quill trade originated through these indiscriminate hunting practices on the farms and
today, one can obtain huge quantities of quills that are supplied to the retailers through dealers
and black market operators. Quills sell from around R2.00 per quill in a retail outlet, to
around R6,00 for a bundle of 12 quills through a dealer, which are usually sold in large
quantities, ranging from 15 000 to 20 000 quills. Black market dealers can offer even greater
quantities.
In South Africa, it is generally thought that the porcupine is relatively common and that the
core population is stable. This assumption is not based on scientific analysis, as no studies
appear to have been conducted to determine the impact of unregulated hunting on porcupine
populations over the last few years. The species has no official classification and throughout
the provinces, there is no enforced permitting structure in place to regulate the hunting of, or
trade in, porcupines. The terms ‘vermin’ and ‘problem animal’ are generally applied to the
porcupine and although it has been listed as a protected species in the draft Biodiversity Bill,
it appears that most farmers will not respect this conservation status. Without collective
compliance with the regulations set out in the Bill, the porcupine will continue to suffer
extensive mortalities within farming communities.
In conclusion, it is evident from our investigations that porcupines are without doubt problem
animals within the agricultural sector, and that they are killed without impunity as a result of
this.
It is also evident that the retail industry is having a hugely negative impact on the species, in
that is has placed an economic value on porcupine quill products, and at the same time has
mislead the public into believing that the quills used in the manufacture of these products are
obtained in an ethical manner. Many people who purchase quills through these stores will not
question the origin of the quills or consider that their purchase is having a detrimental impact
on porcupines by driving up the demand for quill products beyond the sustainability of nonlethal
harvesting.
We feel that the widespread and often inhumane manner in which porcupines are killed needs
to be addressed and we would strongly urge the relevant conservation authorities to initiate a
study of porcupines within a designated study area, to determine the impact and effects
localised hunting practices are having on these animals, as well as provide a regional estimate
for the species.
We believe that, through a collective commitment to finding a working solution within the
agricultural and retail industries, and through increased public visibility of the problem, we
can reverse the negative impact of the last few years and find a more positive outcome for the
future of the charismatic Cape porcupine.

Tim Ecott joins a conservation project and, armed with a clipboard, counts fish

TWENTY FIVE metres below the sparkling waters of the Indian Ocean the rock pinnacle sticks out from the reef like a talon. Behind me a coral wall stretches north and south as far as the eye can see, and its sheer face plummets into an underwater chasm 500m deep.

Hanging above the dark space I am one of six divers armed with clipboards and pencils. At a signal from marine scientist Nick Hill we begin to count fish. He gives us just ten minutes, and it is hard not to concentrate on the biggest creatures; 23 grey reef sharks that circle the pinnacle, but retreat when we get too close. Like us, they congregate here because the fish life is extremely rich.

Returning to the surface after an hour underwater, we sit on the dive boat and compare notes. Nick laughs when he sees I have “counted” 2,000 small fish — blue-lined snappers. “Really?” he says. “But maybe you’re right.” On this dive we were supposed to be looking at large open-water species, and between us we saw sharks, giant grouper, black snappers, sweetlips, Napoleon fish, barracuda and even a dogtooth tuna.

The dive was part of a month-long survey of marine life at Vamizi Island, northern Mozambique. Vamizi is about 12km (seven and a half miles) long, one of dozens of islands in the Quirimbas archipelago that stretches towards the Tan-zanian border from the northern tip of Mozambique’s 3,000km-long coastline. Until recently it was rarely visited by tourists. You don’t have to be a marine scientist to stay here, but it helps if you like fish. Visitors stay at Vamizi Lodge, ten luxurious palm-thatched villas with a private view of an ocean edged with blindingly white sand. On my visit there were just couples on the island, but families are welcome.

Related Links

• Return to the Maldives

The other guests are mostly British, and several admitted that coming here had a certain swank value, since not many people have heard of it and it’s not for anyone who’s counting their pennies. “This is slightly off the beaten track,” said Roger, a stockbroker from London. “And I didn’t want to go somewhere where everyone else was a banker.”

Banker or not, the villas provide a sumptuous holiday complete with giant four-poster beds swathed in billowing muslin. There are antique Zanzi-bari lamps and showers made of marble, day beds festooned in plump cushions and beautifully carved wooden shutters that allow the trade winds to cool the rooms without air-conditioning. At least once a week dinner is served beside a beach bonfire under the stars, and fresh fish is available at every meal. Game fishing and diving are the main activities, but the island is rich in bird life and one morning I was awoken by a pair of chattering samango monkeys sitting in a tree outside my room.

Vamizi is part of the Maluane conservation project, where scientific research is undertaken in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. Turtles like the pure white sand beaches as much as the tourists, and there is a project to monitor and protect their nesting sites. The project will eventually open up tourist access to two further islands, Rongui and Macaloe, as well as 33,000ha of savannah habitat on the mainland.

Nick Hill, who is recording the fish population on this survey, was one of the first scientists to visit the island, at a time when the villagers had not seen a white man for more than 20 years. “If the island has to have tourists, then this is the best way of going about it,” he says. “Leaving the island undeveloped wasn’t an option in wild-life terms, because when we first arrived there were itinerant fishermen camping on this beach and killing the turtles when they came in to nest.”

The local African community is wholeheartedly behind the tourism project, not least because any extra cash is welcome in a society where people are living on about £1 a day. Now, islanders are employed at the lodge and fishermen are paid to supply fish for the restaurant. Vamizi may seem like paradise for the tourists, but the villagers have to buy their fresh water from the mainland several miles away by dhow. This is not a traditional island community — most of the villagers came here seeking safety during Mozambique’s bitter civil war. The war ended 15 years ago but life on the mainland is still not easy. Here, tourism revenue has been used to build a clinic and a schoolhouse, and the next stage of the conservation plan is to train some of the fishermen as reef monitors to help map the fishery resources around Vamizi.

At Kivuri village, about 13km from Vamizi lodge, I meet Ali Arroce, president of the village committee elected to decide on a zoned management plan for the reefs around Vamizi. “If we do not take things into our own hands with the help of the foreign experts,” he tells me seriously, “I do not know what our sons and grandsons will do for fish.”

The conservation plan involves designating some areas of reef where all fishing will be banned. Scientific evidence shows that these areas act as nurseries for breeding fish, and result in an overall increase in fish populations both in the protected area and near by. One of the main challenges is to stop foreign fishing boats raiding the rich waters surrounding the island.

For scuba divers, Vamizi is something increasingly rare. The corals here are in excellent health, with no signs of the bleaching and disease that I have seen in Mauritius, the Seychelles and the Maldives. Deep offshore water brings currents that keep the water cool enough for the corals to thrive. Those currents bring nutrients to the reef, which acts as a habitat and nursery for hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates. More coral means more fish, for both villagers and divers alike. Underwater, I spot everything from tiny flatworms decorated with violet stripes to large Napoleon wrasse with lips so implausibly plump that they might have been injected with collagen.

Fish counting is hard work. Each day the team is up at 6am and in the water by 7.30. Using satellite navigation, survey sites are logged and a diver goes down and lays a tape measure across the reef. I help out, laying the tape along a contour line and tying it off every 15m to make sure it doesn’t get carried away in the current. There are two teams: one for fish and one for coral. The fish team swims along the line counting the number and types of fish visible within 5m either side of the tape. The coral team follows, photographing the reef and later analysing the diversity and types of coral found.

Johnston Davidson, a coral biologist from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in Australia, is impressed by what he finds. “These reefs are easily comparable to the very best sites we have on the Great Barrier Reef,” he says. “Places like Vamizi are rare now, both in terms of the health of the corals and the likelihood of seeing the megafauna — marlin, sailfish, dolphins, sharks and even whales.”

Coral reefs around the globe are dying at an alarming rate, with 60 per cent of the world’s reefs now showing significant damage and large-scale mortality. Global warming, pollution from sewage and tourism development all play their part. Here on Vamizi there is hope, a sanctuary for coral and fish that must be preserved.
Tim Ecott is the author of Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World (Penguin £7.99).
Need to know: Tim Ecott travelled with Rainbow Tours, which offers seven nights at Vamizi from £2,695pp. The price includes return flights to Dar-es-Salaam on British Airways, regional flights to Pemba, seven nights’ full board at Vamizi, including local drinks and many activities.

Diving costs US$40 (about £20) for reef dives, and US$70 for long-range dives.

It is now May 2008 and we can safely report that Nonnie will make an almost full recovery after the horrific ordeal (see pictures and read the story on Asendle) in which she was beaten to within an inch of her life. Even our vets are amazed at how quickly she has healed and have confirmed that she has 100% sight in one eye but is unfortunately blind in the other one. For a vervet monkey this is not seen as a total disability and she will learn to adapt absolutely fine.

For the first time this week, she spent her days in our intensive care unit, starting to socialise with other monkeys and has now been introduced to a group of them where she will continue to grow up. She has been SO happy with the other monkeys and plays non-stop. From wanting to be with carer Mabel Watts 24/7, she started to become more independent, started feeding herself and eventually let Mabel know in no uncertain terms that she was a vervet who would rather be with other vervets - that is such good news, as intensively nursing an animal one always worries about when it needs to start to cope on its own. Nonnie is more than capable now and in fact much prefers vervets to people!!!

People have been amazing over this dreadful incident, and CROW has been able to tell the story of Nonnie in a number of ways including on National News, in local newspapers, in radio interviews and in a TV feature which will air on 4th May on SABC.
A number of people have donated money towards her veterinary bills and subsequent care and CROW would like to thank each and every one of you most sincerely. Stop the Kangaroo Cull!

You can view this petition at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/tell-a-friend/635763
sign this petition to help us reach our goal of 5,000 signatures. I care deeply about this cause, and I hope you will support our efforts.

ThePetitionSite.com provides tools and empowers individuals to make a difference and effect positive change through online activism. Get connected with the causes you care about, take action to make the world a better place, and start your own petition at http://www.ThePetitionSite.com!
ThePetitionSite.com is powered by Care2, the largest and most trusted information and action site for people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world. www.care2.comWritten by:

Written by:
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , Ohio

This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr. old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday.  He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1 AM on Wednesday but the owner didn’t call my emergency service until 7 AM.

I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn’t seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but….    Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said   to give IV fluids at 1 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.

The dog’s BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine! Over 5 ( 1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a litre of fluids.  At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.

He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn’t control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to euthanize.

This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handlers. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.  

Onions, chocolate, cocoa and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too.

Even if you don’t have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is worth passing on to them.

Confirmation from Snopes about the above…

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/raisins.asp

Chacma baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) and vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)…

…are two of five species of indigenous primates in South Africa. Although an important part of our natural heritage, they are severely persecuted. Being hunted as pests by farmers, their habitats are shrinking due to the constant expansion of human settlements and the danger of busy traffic on roads, which cross the land on which they lived a long time before us.

Babies of killed mothers are sometimes taken as pets, which is not sustainable solution as they start to bite when they grow up.

Here we are offering solutions to help primates and people as well:

1) Short term ones: Rehabilitation centre, which at the moment cares for orphaned and injured monkeys. Future plans are to return them back to their place in nature…and…

2) Long term ones: to teach people that these primates are not our enemies, and that is if we know them, we don’t need to be afraid of them, and that it is possible to learn to live in harmony, and by communication with the authorities, we can work towards changing protective legislation which is insufficient at the moment.

Sign the petition to protect polar bears today:
http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/polarbears

As climate change causes the continued shrinkage of Arctic sea ice, polar
bears are increasingly at risk. Leading American scientists say placing
the polar bear on the federal Endangered Species list is key to its
survival.

A federal court has given the Bush administration until May 15 to decide
if it will list the polar bear as endangered. Tell Secretary of Interior
Dirk Kempthorne that the polar bear, and its fragile Arctic habitat,
requires protection from the effects of global warming:
http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/polarbears

If the Secretary listens to the scientists, the polar bear will gain
important protections. Additionally, federal agencies will need to
consider how their future activities could affect the species — and that
could be an important step in leading the government to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions. Please join our petition to protect polar bears:
http://www.wecansolveit.org/page/s/polarbears