Stories
of animal abuse seldom have a happy ending, but a group of us travelling
through Namibia in December 2012 were privileged to be part of just such a
story.
Four
days into our three week trip and 2200km from Cape Town, we travelled through
the small, isolated village of Ruacana on the Angolan border. We stopped to
overnight at the Hippo Pools Community campsite, 37km west of the village, on
the banks of the Kunene River.
The remote location of Hippo Pools on the northern border of Namibia
 |
| B :: Where we found Azzan - 2239km from Cape Town |
In the
blistering heat, we saw a black and white dog struggling to make his way across
the thick sand and could see from the way his hock was dropped nearly to the
ground, that he had a terrible injury to the tendons on both his hind legs.
.JPG)
An image illustrating the severity of the injury (far right)
He
followed us to our campsite and seemed friendly, but we were unsure how much
pain he was in and how he would react to being touched. We gave him fresh water and some food and he
spent the night lying in our camp. The
next morning we had to leave for Epupa Falls and, as much as we wanted to, we
did not try to take him as we didn’t know who he belonged to, what the reaction
of the locals would be if we attempted to or where we could take him for help. It was heart-breaking to leave him behind.
We
stopped at Kunene River Lodge where I reported him and asked about a vet as
they had very healthy-looking Jack Russells running around. I asked if there
was anyone in the area we could contact or if they could speak to their vet,
but they did not seem to want to get involved.
We traveled on for another two weeks, but the dog was never far from our minds. As soon as we returned to Cape Town, I sent
out an appeal to anyone I could find in Namibia who may be in a position to
help. Petra from Namibia Animal Awareness mailed back to say that she had put
my post on their Facebook page and the response from the public was phenomenal.
Although some people questioned why we would leave the dog behind, most people
responded with messages of support, offers of help and to set up a fund for
him. Petra was always very supportive of us and explained the situation and the
lack of facilities in the area. We also had to respect the laws of the country;
we could not just take someone’s dog. By
the end of the day, the comments were about trying to find someone who could
find the dog and drive him south, to be collected and taken to a vet in one of
the bigger towns and offers of money for fuel.
We
learnt that the dogs’ tendons had been cut by a local woman because he stole
food and was now surviving on tourists feeding him because he could no longer
hunt. We hoped we would get help to him before his ears were cut off for not
listening – which is also something the locals do there. Petra and Esme named him Azzan, a Hebrew name
meaning “the strong one”.
By
Thursday, 24 January, Esme decided to make the 1600km roundtrip from Windhoek
to Ruacana herself that weekend, as we could find nobody in the north willing
to help. Another volunteer, Kelvin, joined her for the long trip. A “Woef
Donasie” was set up for the fuel costs and the money was quickly raised,
including donations from our group.
Miraculously,
they found Azzan but he was not in a good condition; dehydrated and near
starvation - he had been in hiding from the locals. As luck would have it, our
whole group were together that day and were receiving regular updates from
Petra about Esme & Kelvin’s progress. We were overjoyed when we heard that
he had been found and rescued.
 | ||
| Being taken away to safety |
 |
| When he first arrived at Otjiwarongo Veterinary Clinic |
Esme
& Kelvin arrived at Otjiwarongo Veterinary Clinic at 21h30 that evening where
Dr Axel Hartmann was expecting them and immediately put Azzan on a drip and
treated him for an infection. Esme wrote that when the vet’s assistant went to
lift him up, Azzan was screaming and crying in fear; he had been through hell.
Every day must have been a struggle just to find food and to have to drink
water from the only source available to him – a crocodile infested river.
Crocodiles in the Kunene River
Esme
told us later that when they found him, he was skin and bone and looked
defeated, the way dogs get after a long time of abuse and neglect. He didn’t try to fight them when they put him
in the car, as if he had resigned himself to his fate. He did not relieve
himself on the whole trip from Ruacana to Otjiwarongo and drank no water. It was discovered that he had a terrible
prostrate infection and had stopped taking in water because the pain of
urinating was so bad. Esme had to head back to Windhoek, but left with the feeling
of elation that a successful rescue brings, knowing that he was in good hands.
 |
| Skin and bone |
Dr Axel
Hartmann is one of the most respected and caring vets, giving of himself to
save animals. He is well known for his work with the Cheetah Conservation Fund,
Save the Rhino Trust and was also involved in the rescue of dogs smuggled
across the Angolan border. The costs associated with Azzan's operation should
have been astronomical, but with Dr Hartmann only charging the minimum and
donating his time and expertise to assist with Azzan, we were quickly able to
raise what was needed for his operation and care.
Dr
Hartmann performed a couple of surgeries to repair the damage. One tendon had
been cut off right above the heel bone so had to be reattached with a metal
pin. The other was shredded so badly it had to be cut into vertical strips to
reattach it and a screw inserted from the heel into the tibia.
After his first surgery
Azzan
remained in the care of Dr Hartmann for another two months and slowly regained
his strength. Although he suffered a few
setbacks, the doctor never wavered in his dedication to find a permanent
solution. Considering his workload and
the care, pre- and post-operative attention of the staff at Otjiwarongo vet; it
is has been nothing short of amazing.
We
were in regular contact with the clinic and it was agreed that he could be discharged
at the beginning of April. Esme offered
to collect him in Otjiwarongo and drive him down to Mariental, so on the 5th
April we set off on the 2500km trip to bring him home. It was a tender farewell at the clinic when
Dr H had to say goodbye to Azzan; they had clearly formed a strong bond.
At his first visit he had a quick once-over and the vet was very happy
with Azzan and called the surgery ‘technically superb’. Dr Gray’s not sure if he will regain full
mobility in that leg. If not, they may
have to look at fusing the bone to restrict the movement of the joint.  |
| Dr Hartmann saying goodbye to Azzan |
 |
| Esme collecting Azzan |
Clearing Azzan at the border
 |
| Crossing the border into SA - Goodbye Namibia |
Azzan was so well behaved at the vet, he showed no signs of anxiety when he was taken in. I’m so happy that his stay at Otjivet hadn’t left him with a bad association with clinics thanks to Dr Hartmann and his team!
The pins and splints have since been removed
and Dr Gray recommends lots of rest for Azzan for now, so no long walks just
yet. We have also taken him to Dr Megan
Kelly, who specializes in pain management and rehabilitation. She has made him a set of orthotics which
will provide firm support for his legs and allow his muscles and tendons to
strengthen up again. He’ll also be
spending time on their underwater treadmill to help him regain muscle mass and
strength (which provides the joints with support) and should result in
decreased pain, improved mobility and range of motion.
Eventhough he still has a long road ahead of him and we’re not expecting miracles, Azzan is a strong dog and he’s a survivor, hopefully that, combined with the specialist care, will be enough to see him make as full a recovery as possible.
Doron walking on Sea Point beachfront
Our
incredible journey with Azzan and the amazing support of strangers to his
desperate situation restored our faith in humanity. We are so grateful to everyone that got
involved; especially Petra, Esme, Kelvin, and Dr Hartmann and his team. Because of them, Azzan has been given a
second chance to a long life, filled with love and security.
People need to understand that this type of animal abuse is unacceptable and we
will no longer support local community campsites that ignore and/or condone
this type of treatment.
‘The bad news is people are crueler and more
evil than you’ve ever imagined.
The good news is that people
are kinder, gentler and more loving than you’ve ever dreamed”.
___________________________________________________________________________
For
photos and updates on his progress, follow Azzan on our Blog and Twitter at @AzzanRescue
(his journey home was posted on Twitter @offroadsheriffs)
Featured in the August 2013 edition of Cesar's Way - Available at Woolworths, CNA & Clicks
Featured on the eXpresso Show on SABC3 - 14 Jun 2013
Featured on the eXpresso Show on SABC3 - 14 Jun 2013
Current updates
18 Jun 2013 :: Azzan - Expresso Morning Show
18 Jun 2013 :: Bobtail: Survivor Dog from Namibia: Azaan
29 Jul 2013 :: Azzan's Progress
03 Aug 2013 :: Jumping!
21 Aug 2013 :: We've come a long way