Report on Sable operation

Team members: 1st years, 2^nd years, Faatjie, Lauren and Sieg.

The operation of the sable male was conducted at the wlc by a vet that was called in from a nearby town. This vet has conducted the operation before and so he knows what the procedure needs and how he will go to work on the injury.

Background:

A sable male has arrived at the wlc with a broken hind leg. The age of the animal is unknown and the origin as well. The vet has conducted an operation on a previous male with the same situation and so he was called in to see what he can do to fix it. Before working on the new male, he removed the splint on the previous male’s leg injury as it has healed. The steel pipes were cut off and the wound sewed where needed. The leg was cleaned with anti septic and SOS. The animal needs to be checked regularly as he will try to use the leg and he might fall because it is not strong enough to use yet.

Anti septic used to sterilize wounds and equipment.

The wound was sterilized and the sable was revived to wake up and calm down after the operation in the holding boma.

The second sable that needed the splint implemented is a little older then the first and bigger in size so we had to work carefully to maintain our own safety as these animals do tend to kick and hurt people severely. The hind leg is broken and the steel pipe needs to go internally and stabilized externally much like the first operation. All equipment needs to be sterilized before darting the animal so the procedure can flow smoothly.

Steps to the operation:

1. Dart and sedate the sable so the operation can be conducted.
2. Cover the eyes to calm the animal, secure the horns to ensure safety and lift the sale on to the sterilized stretcher by making use of good team work.
3. Ensure that the tongue is out of the mouth at all times and that the head is upright to prevent the animal from choking.
4. The vet then doses the sable with vitamins and starts the operation by drilling the incision and inserting the steel pipes to splint the leg in the correct position for healing.
5. The ends sticking out on the sides are bent and welded together to ensure that they do not hurt the animal or others.
6. The sable is then revived after the operation is finished and then kept in the holding boma.

The animals will be checked during the day when feeding and during the night on night shift to ensure that the operations were conducted correctly and that any symptoms are dealt with as soon as they are noticed.