Aslan the lion that wants to be free again

ASLAN'S STORY

Snared lion rescue

As private land owners and parks in South Africa continue to fight a desperate battle against the increasing number of steel wire and cable snares that is set indiscriminately to supply a growing bush meat, muti and commercial trade, a large male lion found himself on the receiving end of this cruel practice last Friday in Limpopo Province.

The lion in his prime and in top physical condition most probably came from Letaba Ranch (that borders the world famous Kruger National Park) where perimeter fences are in a shocking state.

A call for help from a member of the public was received around 09h00 am on Friday morning by the SanWild Wildlife Trust’s emergency wild animal rescue centre that is based in Gravelotte. A worker had come across a snared lion while on his way to work.

The team arrived on the scene within 30 minutes and found a beautiful male lion lying in the road servitude next to an old Bonnox fence. A cable snare had been set in an opening below the fence and the lion was caught by his front right foot when trying to pass under the fence.

The lion had put up quite a fight to rid himself of the snare, was totally exhausted and lay helplessly awaiting his fate. However as the rescue team arrived and moved in to dart the unfortunate creature, he lifted his head and sat up to face the approaching people. Blood dripped from his open mouth and the team’s fears were that the lion had eaten away his front paw as so many other wild predators had done in the past to free themselves.

To see such a magnificent animal helpless and in obvious pain remains an upsetting part of the team’s work. After 5 minutes the lion was sound asleep and the remaining members of the team moved in to remove the cable snare that had pulled tightly against three of the lions toes. Fortunately, besides some minor bite wounds to the paw; no real damage that would result in a permanent disability rendering the lion unsuited for release back to the wild was done.

However on closer inspection it was found that two of the lions canines had been badly broken as it chewed into the cable snare to free himself. There were numerous cuts inside the mouth caused by the cable. Fortunately these minor injuries could easily be sorted by anti-biotics that would be administered to also prevent any possible infection in the root canals of the broken canines.

The lion was taken to a place of safety pending surgery next week by a specialized dental veterinary surgeon from the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute that will remove the lions root canals and repair the broken canines after which he will be returned to the wild at a suitable location.

PLEASE HELP ASLAN

To help raise funds ($5000) for dental veterinary costs to remove Aslan’s root canals and repair the broken canines we are once again offering the One Extra Accommodation Special at any of our two camps.

ONE EXTRA SPECIAL

For every two nights booked and paid for you will receive one extra night for free. So if you book four nights, you will receive two extra nights. This is applicable to both the Savannah & Bukisa Camps. Please see tariff list here.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• Bookings needs to be paid in full within 7 days after confirmation to qualify for the free night

• A minimum of two nights with two guests needs to be booked

• Subject to availability

• Special ends on the 30th June 2011

• Bookings can be made from the 1st June 2011 until the 15th December 2011

DONATION

If you do not wish to book your stay at one of the camps and would rather donate towards Aslan’s veterinary fund, you may do so by either donating via our payment gateway on http://www.sanwild.com (please choose Save Aslan in the drop down box) or a direct transfer into SanWild’s account: (See banking details under our How You Can Help page) To donate online click here please.

To book your stay at one of our camps on the ONE EXTRA SPECIAL or if you need any additional information, please email us on reservations@sanwild.org