Steve Leonard sends his first report from Zimbabwe where he is assisting local veterinarians in a crucial vaccination programme for domestic dogs in the local communities bordering the Painted Dog Conservation project in Hwange National Park.
"I am totally shattered. The last four days have been a whirlwind. In a joint venture between Painted Dog Conservation, Wildlife Vets International and the government vets from Hwange we have vaccinated around 800 dogs against rabies and distemper (we even saw a few cats for rabies vaccination).
We set up our tables out in the bush and waited for out first patients. Pretty soon a small party of smiling chaps waltzed out of the thicket circled by packs of 'dingo' like dogs. Left to their own devices in such hard conditions, natural selection tends to result in medium-build, hardy crossbreeds like these. Pampered pedigrees wouldn't last a week out here.
I had no idea how we were going to manage the twenty or so dogs that rocked up in the first wave but the government veterinary assistants got busy with the vaccines, worming and de-fleaing while the vets got stuck into seeing any with any illness or injuries with the PDC staff preparing syringes, translating, recording names and generally keeping it all flowing. By the time we were halfway through this first lot the next wave hit us and it was plain we were going to be busy . . . "
