CRAIG BISHOP, Durban | Tuesday
THE 23 giraffe and three white rhinos which spent the past 40 days at sea after being turned away by foot-and-mouth fearing Spaniards will be back in the bush this week.
The animals arrived at Durban harbour on Monday and immediately left for Brits in North West Province under orders from national director of veterinary services, Dr Gideon Bruckner, who waived the rules for contamination containment that do not allow for the movement of animals suspected of being diseased.
“It was either move them or put them in the harbour and shoot them, which was never an option for these beautiful animals,” said KwaZulu-Natal veterinary service director Brian Weaver.
“They were loaded off the ship, put in sealed trucks and will spend 30 days in quarantine in Brits.”
The animals had left Durban on the MSC Paraguay on October 8. Two weeks into the voyage, the Paraguay was diverted to Malta and the animals transferred to the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s Michele after the first foot-and-mouth fears surfaced.
Seven days after leaving Malta, two of the giraffes died from what was described as a lung infection. One of the rhinos also has an abscess on its shoulder from crate rash.
The shipping company’s attorney, Nicolaas van der Reyden, said the company had incurred costs amounting to around US$600 000 from harbour costs, a seven-day deviation from course as well as loss of operating costs.
“Our first priority was to get the animals back into their natural environment, but ultimately we will be seeking redress from the wildlife procurement company, Global Wildlife Logistics (GWL). After that we will see what our options are.”
GWL had been negotiating with the Spanish department of agriculture since August 1999 to transport the animals to safari parks and zoos in Spain.
The Noah International Help Fund had been set up to raise R2m for the costs of restoring the animals to the wild. It is being administered by Christopher Walton and Tatham Inc. in Ladysmith. – African Eye News Service