Virunga National Park evacuation!

[Rafa]

Hello all,

This morning I received an e-mail from my friend Marlene Zähner who is the training master of Bloodhounds and is working in Virunga National Park, Congo, to create a dog team and tracking the poachers that are killing the last gorillas and elephants. One of the dogs, Stella is the sister of my bloodhound Althea and I usually follow its adventures there through the park website. Well, it seems the guerilla lead by the genocide Bosco, are going to the Camp Foundation of Virunga National Park and all the Rangers, Biologist, Administrative personal etc are being evacuated. They need some help as the foundation is almost bankrupt to evacuate all these people. Here is their web page http://gorillacd.org/ if you want to donate any money. I donate some minutes ago and it is very easy as they have paypal.

I hope you don't mind me posting this.

Althea, (Tea) almost died last Wednesday due a stomach torsion and we had to operate her by urgency. Fortunately she is alive UFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF In the picture my niece  Alix and Tea last summer playing in Cap Ferret, France.

[annew]

Shocking news, Rafa. I can help your friends a little, but I hope they will be OK. I also hope Althea will be well, who else would sniff out all those narcissi?

[Rafa]

thank you Anne, I also hope they could scape from this genocide. They are admirable people to me that risk thier lifes to avoid Gorilla extintion. I suppose that if they are capable to make such a teribles crimes with the people, the Gorilla beringei beringei could desapear in few months. Also it is very worry concerning Pymy people because there are rebelds that are cannibal and eat them because they think Pygmy are not humans, are animals!! I saw a documentary about it and is just terrible!.

[Rafa]

thank you to all the people who have helped Virunga's National Park rangers families and the rest of people there. I received a new message in the facebook group and it seems many of the rangers and  family are successfully evacuated and are safe and also the dog team. Thank you very much for your generousity

[annew]

And Althea?

[Rafa]

Thank you for ask Anne, she is fine, although she has a handspan suture, she wants to play all the time, as usually... They fixed the stomach to the intercostal muscles, this way it will imposible the stomach rotate again. Fortunately when they make the opperation the stomach just starting to rotate and  it don't strangulated any important atery and also the spleen was intact. So it was just a big fright as probably she would has die in 45 or so... I recomended to every one who have big dogs a preventive gastroplexy.

[annew]

Glad to hear it, Rafa. Is this something that bloodhounds get more than other dogs?

[Rafa]

yes, it is common in any big dog race like Great Dane, Bull mastiff.... Althea comes from a blood line which is one of the best in the world, it almost has't any of the most common genetic problems (with certificates) like eyes, skin, epilepsy.... and also it has a selection following good character and sociability. But this problem is almost imposible to solve by breeding and preventic gastroplexy is a must from 1,5 year old. I told the veterinary here, many times, in this month this problem will happen, but they considererd it wasn't necessary for the moment, but finally it happened. Of course I chanche the vet... It is not an expensive opperation, so it is highly recomended.

[annew]

I hope she is soon back on track.