Edition 50: Spring 2010

Samantha Pinnell of KwaZulu-Natal writes in to tell us about a unique experience at Kruger, and to give credit where credit it is due.

Our family recently spent our annual holiday in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. One afternoon, approximately 3km outside of Pretoriuskop Rest Camp, we came across a pride of five lionesses and noticed that the biggest female had a snare around her neck, which had cut badly into her skin. My husband phoned Pretoriuskop and was put through to the camp ranger to explain the situation. Within 10 minutes Ranger Dalton was on the scene, and he immediately contacted the veterinarians at Skukuza.

The vets arrived within 40 minutes, and after a quick assessment of the situation they headed off to Pretoriuskop to acquire an open-topped 4WD. Using the vehicle as a moving platform, they darted the lioness and then scared off the rest of the pride. After the team had carried the sleeping lion on a stretcher to the roadside, we were invited to get out of our vehicles and to stand quietly around the lion, while the vets removed the snare, cleaned the wound and gave her an antibiotic.

Within five minutes, the vets were gone and we were all back in our vehicles. Ranger Dalton and his assistant remained, guarding the lion until she regained consciousness. We would like to congratulate all the staff involved. The entire incident took less than an hour, and when we met Ranger Dalton the following day, he confirmed that the lioness had woken up and walked off absolutely undisturbed by the whole event. To Ranger Dalton, Kenneth Muchocho and all the assisting staff members, we were privileged to witness a unique situation and you deserve recognition for your efficiency and professionalism.