Botswana MAWS (Maun Animal Welfare Society) week #1

Maun Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) is the group that organizes free spay/neuter, vaccinations, deworming and medical treatment as needed for local people with financial constraints.  Website: www.maunanimalwelfare.com

It's been an interestingly different way of surgery here compared to the States.  There is no gas anesthetic used in surgeries here because of the cost, but all of the dogs are intubated to maintain a patent airway.  Xylazine, ketamine and diazepam appear to provide enough anesthetic time for surgery, with the occasional top-up of thiopentone as needed.  All pets receive an injection of meloxicam for pain control.  Despite not having opioids for additional pain control, these dogs are remarkably hardy, recover comfortably, and are ready to eat as soon as they wake up!!  Many of the dogs also have tick bite fever (Ehrlichiosis), which causes delays with normal blood clotting, which then causes increased bleeding intraoperatively...I was initially a bit worried about this, but I found that I adjusted to expect a "new normal" level of bleeding quickly enough. Ehrlichiosis also can cause significant anemia, and I've definitely operated on dogs I would not have touched before doing a full blood panel and likely blood transfusion if I were in the States! I've also discovered that the amount of lighting I THOUGHT I needed for surgery was waaaaaay more than what I ACTUALLY need.  Finally, "surgical sterility" acquires new meaning when that includes having to blow flies away from an incision and pick ants off a surgical drape to keep them from crawling into an open abdomen.  :-!

The MAWS clinic...the little sign to the left of the door states that the clinic is by appointment, but this seems to be wholly ignored.  :-) 

No beer in here!  Just vaccines and medications...I just liked the application of this particular fridge  :-P 

Another volunteer veterinarian, Mary-Anne, and myself spaying 2 dogs on the surgery table.  Mary-Anne and her long-term partner Richard (both are originally South African but currently living in London) are here volunteering for 3 weeks as well, and it's been great to work with them!

Since the table height doesn't adjust, these bricks are what I stand on for particularly "tall" dogs.  Occasionally disconcerting when I unintentionally step off of them during surgery (!), but they do the job!

An overview of an assortment of newly spayed and neutered Botswanan dogs, all apparently enjoying their drug cocktails!

All dogs gets their nails clipped and treated for fleas, ticks and flies right after surgery...then off to home for a good meal and a snooze!!

I was extremely heartened to hear from a local person this week that the work that MAWS does has noticeably decreased the number of stray dogs out in the streets; this in turn improves the health of the wild animal population here by preventing outbreaks of transmissible canine distemper and canine (& feline) rabies, and a healthier wild animal population = healthier human livelihoods via a robust tourism industry.  (For those cat people out there, cats are less commonly treated here, as many fall prey to dogs and other animals...  :-(  ).  

I'll try to take some pictures of hospitalized patients and cats in the next 2 weeks.  I just sent home a parvovirus puppy (suspected parvo based on symptoms, as we don't have tests here to confirm) yesterday who was extremely cute and also a troublemaker...as soon as he felt better, he chewed out his IV catheter and took a long nap!!

Botswana x 1 week

Above was one of the most notable sightings during my first 5 days in Botswana--a lioness had just killed a baby zebra...our safari group was close enough to hear and see the abdominal contents being eaten (gross!!!).

Those lazy lions!!

I think this was the first time I'd seen giraffes drinking in the wild.

Paying exquisite detail to cleaning that left front foot!

These zebras and 2 elephants had to keep getting chased off the airstrip in order for the Cessna to land to take me to Maun.

Elephant footprint vs. MK. BTW, I'd like to take this opportunity to pronounce my undying love for my Crocs!!!  Sure, they're a bit ugly, but they are simply the most functional shoes around!  This pair has traveled with me starting on the John Muir Trail in 2009 and have gone to Myanmar, Mongolia, multiple other backpacking trips, and now this trip!!!

I'm amazed at what these LandCruisers have to drive through...including small ponds.

A Dutch woman in my group said these ostriches are like politicians... Mouths wide open with nothing coming out  :-) 

Sorry, Ethiopia, but the hippos here are a bit more visible (but also WAAAAY smellier).

Meet Thandi!  She is a sweetheart of a dog who belongs to Steve H. And Jill T.  They were kind enough to allow me to stay at their house in Gaborone when I first arrived in Botswana and sent me off to Kwando Safari, who I'd highly recommend for seeing wildlife here!  Behind Thandi is the greenness of Gaborone after 6 days of non-stop rain (I'm glad I arrived just after that!!).  

I've since started spaying and neutering various Botswanan street mutts but haven't had time to collect pictures yet...I will do that shortly!

Final Ethiopia fotos before Botswana starts!

Even camels sometimes need to catch a ride!!!  They appeared quite calm, though the following critters looked a bit more "unsettled" but weren't struggling per se...I suppose if you're moving and you don't have a vehicle, you've got to move your possessions by bus somehow!!  

Mummified bodies in one of the Lalibela church "grave caves"...no noxious odors and fascinatingly creepy.

One of the three hottest sauces encountered in Ethiopia...though I'm in Gaborone right now, my lips are still healing from the last hot sauce that was mistakenly (my mistake) poured all over a pizza (yikes!)!

A funeral ceremony happening at Biet Giyorgis, possibly my favorite rock-hewn church in Lalibela.

Biet Giyorgis: this and the other Lalibela-area churches were chiseled by hand out of hillside rock...pictures cannot do them justice...many of them are incredibly preserved to this day.

The rock-hewn churches have intricate little tunnels to walk through and crazy arrangements of extremely irregular stairs...I did a Steve Young on my left forehead while climbing up a set without looking up to spot a rock overhang(!).  My favorite tunnel was one that was supposed to represent the path to hell; it was surreal to be in a pitch black space, unable to see ANYTHING, relying only on your hands and feet to feel your entire way along a tunnel of unknown dimensions or length.

This priest at a smaller rock-hewn church was quite impressed with a smart phone's ability to take self-pictures!  I loved his spectacles.

"Street" art at Mango Campsite near Turmi; campsite is run by a group of Hamer people, whose women are known for their distinctive hairstyle; this involves applying ochre powder (natural red pigment) and butter along the length of their hair (it's interesting to have a woman with freshly dressed hair walk by, only to be followed instantly by a strong buttery smell).

I bought a pair of these sandals made by Konso village people from old tires...they had superb traction, but my Westernized arches couldn't handle the barefoot style (which I already knew, having tried this type of shoe after reading "Born to Run").  I ultimately donated the shoes.

Our New Year's Eve bash!!  Dashen beer and shiro wot.  Candle courtesy of our driver because the town had lost power temporarily.

It was fun to be paddled across the Omo River in one of these dugout boats.  There is definitely a girth restriction in order to fit in one of these vessels!!  (There are motorboats used for larger individuals, BTW).  We saw one family paddle across with a cow who swam alongside the boat, its head and neck being held above the water.  I was truly bummed I couldn't photograph this from my vantage point.

Tried to capture at least one acacia-in-sunset pic!

A few shy monkeys (I believe Guevara monkeys) which can make quite a racket in the morning!

I queried one of our guides on any cultural significance his long fingernails might have (only on his left hand), and he replied that they were handy for scratching an inner ear itch and dealing with other "ear problems," as he put it (retrieving ear wax?)...  :-P 

Checkers pieces that can easily be replaced when one goes AWOL.

Beehives made from bamboo, hanging high up in an acacia tree.  The honey here was delicious and ranged from a clear, whitish honey to a darker brown, chunkier, marmalade-style honey containing dark specks.  Yummy!!

Fish eagles along Lake Chamo

Good morning, Mr. or Ms. Crocodile!

Beautiful, and very large, pelicans at Lake Chamo.  They did not bat an eye at the crocodiles which were right next to them.

Warthogs are just so cute!!!

Heavy cow commuter hour--I still was amazed at the livestock traffic after 3 weeks here!  This was the largest herd we encountered, and as nonchalant as ever.

Dorze village hut, fashioned in the shape of an elephant's face and trunk

Interesting stelae indicating the burial site of a woman...very ornate etching!

I LOVE FRESH PAPAYA!!!  We never get this in the States. :'( 

Thank you, Ethiopia, for such a wonderful experience!!  I need to return to visit the Afar region and the city of Harar at some point!!