Several Leopard Tortoises were given a second chance after being rescued from the Free State Veld Fires by the NSPCA and taken to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital.
Johannesburg, South Africa (13 August 2021) – Leopard Tortoises are beautiful creatures, but sadly, they struggle to outrun the danger when it comes to veld fires. When fires occur, teams scour the frontline, scooping up any injured tortoises they find along the way.
Recently, a veld fire broke out in the Free State and several Leopard Tortoises were rescued from the fireline. Seven of them, needing emergency care, were transported from the Free State to Johannesburg to receive life-saving care from the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital team.
The wildlife hospital specialises in the care of South Africa’s indigenous creatures. They were up to the task of taking in seven sickly tortoises and have played a vital role in saving their lives.
Leopard Tortoises are a massive asset to South Africans. The beautiful creatures are highly important seed spreaders. They eat many indigenous greens and safely carry the seeds in their guts, dispersing them as they go to the toilet throughout the bush and wild spaces where they live.
They overwinter from May, so being pushed from their dens due to fire is quite a shock for many of these little survivors. Of the seven rescued from the fire, sadly, only one tortoise has survived. She has been given every support from the wildlife veterinary team.
“The remaining tortoise did not want to eat, despite being offered every delicacy possible. We made the decision to sedate and place a feeding tube in the oesophagus to ensure that she receives proper nutrition while she heals. Thus far she is gaining weight and is a lot more active. There is still a very long road ahead, but so far she has responded well to her treatment and we are hopeful that she will start eating by herself any day now.
Our thanks to the NSPCA for transporting the tortoises to our facility. We were all aware of the tortoises’ poor/guarded prognosis, however, we still did everything in our power to help them. This sometimes means making the hard decision to humanely euthanise an animal to end their suffering.
We treat indigenous wildlife free of charge, relying solely on the support of our community.”
While not all the tortoises could be saved, the team has learned valuable lessons about caring for tortoises found after veld fires. Should you wish to support the lone survivor, you can find out how below.
They have several ways that people can help. They accept donations here or see their full wishlist here. An easy way to get involved is to also nominate them on your MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet rewards card, which you can do so here. Or via direct bank transfer, see their banking details below.
Johannesburg Wildlife NPC
FNB Cheque account
Account nr: 62658400264
Branch code: 255355
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ
Or via SnapScan: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/PXMP5766
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