All our sold sable antelopes get a thorough health test prior to transportion. This is necessary to prevent outbreaks of contagious diseases under the domestic cattle. Wild animals do not always show clinical diseases while infected, but they can still spread them. Therefore the wild animal health regulations for contagious diseases are very strict in South Africa. These rules are well maintained by the State vets and veterinary technicians. They are always present with each translocation and testing of a wild animal. I caught 24 sable antelopes 4 weeks earlier from the farm and put them into quarantine (isolated from other animals). After the quarantine period I darted them to take blood and do a TB skin test: injecting Tuberculin in the skin. Three days later I darted them again to read the TB skin test: measuring the thickness of the skin again. When the skin is thicker than 3 days earlier, this means a suspicious or positive reaction. The bloods were send off to the lab to get tested for TB and Foot and Mouth disease. All blood tests and skin tests were negative, so the next week we could load all sable antelopes on the transporation truck. All went very well and just heared they are happy in their new homes.
No comments:
Post a Comment