Animals with attitude
By Natalie Hardy

Several of us recently returned from an SPA fundraiser safari in South Africa. While there one day, some of us chose to skip a game drive, and instead, to visit an animal rehabilitation center named Moholoholo, an hour away from King’s Camp. It was a place which rescued animals that could not be released back into the wild.

We were welcomed inside the gate and ushered into a lecture hall with a large video screen. The room was filled to capacity and obviously a popular place. We sat down and in a matter of minutes, manager Brian Jones appeared. He waited five minutes for stragglers, explaining that we were on South African time. I chuckled, thinking how this would fare against “Mexico Time.”

Jones launched into the mission of Moholoholo, and into stories of its individual residents. The most renowned resident was Stoffel, the honey badger, better known as Stoffel, the Escape Artist. He has appeared on TV’s Animal Planet shows, so compelling is his story. When he came to Jones, they thought to contain him in a fenced yard. In minutes he conquered the fence and escaped. They then put up a cement wall. No problem, he dug under the wall and was free. They put in a cement floor. Stoffel took a good-sized branch within his confines, carried it to a corner, propped it up, and merrily traipsed over the wall, once again to freedom. They decided he needed company and introduced a young female honey badger. This time Stoeffel had met his match. Her energy was unconquerable, her persistence bottomless. She exhausted poor Stoffel. He could not escape. It got to the point that when he saw her coming, he would lie down and cover his eyes with his front paws. All his attitude was no match for hers.

The SPA has available animals with attitude. This week we feature two quite special creatures. Peluso (Very Hairy) came in because his owners “could not take care of him anymore.” There are many reasons for that, some legitimate, some not. But Peluso was clearly someone’s grand, beautiful, affectionate male cat.

 He would prance around, plume of a tail on high. His proud bearing shows a once-gorgeous white coat and he looks at the world out of stunning blue eyes. But his fur was neglected and matted and dirty. A decision was made to shave him, rather than have him endure the pain of trying to disentangle his coat. This unfortunately created a serious issue. He no longer had a plume on his tail. In fact, it was now rat-like and frightened him. He attacked it, actually injuring it seriously. He is now wearing a collar to separate him from his sad tail. He is neutered and declawed. It will take time for his fur to grow out and he needs a loving person to encourage and support him until he gets his fur and his dig
nity back.

Bernadette is a strikingly intelligent dog. You can see it in her eyes. She lives up to the high IQ associated with Border Collies, which is at least part of her pedigree. She is so smart that she knows if she acts badly, she can then wangle a treat for being good in turn. Tomas, our trainer, sees right through her and she is in his capable hands twice a week. Intelligent animals, like intelligent people, lead more complex lives and she needs someone to appreciate and put to good use this bright, eager mind.

She is neutered, about two years old, and oh, so anxious to meet her new owner.

For more information, call 152-6124. We hold visiting hours Monday–Friday, 11am–2pm. We welcome volunteers to walk the dogs and share with the cats. Come and find your special animal companion.