Kura’s Pride Diaries
The Kura’s Pride team have been exceptionally busy in these past few months, as they work towards their goal of improving domestic animal welfare. This time has been filled with emotional highs and lows, as the team attends to the animals most in need. To give us a window into their world, we take a look at the ‘entry pages’ of the Kura’s Pride diary, as reported by Dr. Jessicah Kurere and Solomon Lenasalia who run the Mobile Veterinary Unit for domestic animals – a regional partnership between VetinWild and Ewaso Lions Kura’s Pride.
23rd May: This is Nkurnkur, one of the many dogs that recovered from Canine Distemper during the outbreak this year. He was so sick that the owner thought he had already passed on. They thankfully reached out to us and we attended to Nkurnkur then. He is so much now better, still gaining back his strength. His resilience to recover is unmatched!
Nkurnkur slowly regains his strength after being treated for Canine Distemper © Ewaso Lions
2nd July: It’s been a busy week with a number of medical emergency interventions. We treated a sheep attacked by a baboon and a camel attacked by a lion. We had to leave our car behind and cross the Ewaso Nyiro river on foot because it was full of water while attending to the camel. We’ve also spayed two female dogs with Transmissible Venereal Tumor and treated three dogs with suspected Canine Distemper. During ambulatory rounds, we are also progressively vaccinating all healthy dog and cats against Rabies and Canine Distemper and issuing the new vaccination cards that look great!
Mama looks through a new vaccination certificate for her dog © Ewaso Lions
Solomon carries medical supplies across the Ewaso Nyiro river © Ewaso Lions
The team examines the injuries sustained by a sheep who was attacked by a baboon © Ewaso Lions
Mobile Veterinary Unit team treats a camel who was attacked by lions © Ewaso Lions
We joined the Lions Kids Camp and taught a session on ‘dog and conservation’.
Dr Jessicah speaks to children at the Lion Kids Camp about domestic animal welfare © Ewaso Lions
3rd July: This is Pilipili. He was at the Lion Kids Camp and had become a good friend to Solomon and I. She is among the three puppies we treated for suspected Parvo Virus in May. They recovered and even stole Solomon’s shoe that day!
Pilipili and his sibling make off with Solomon’s shoe © Ewaso Lions
The staff at Kid’s Camp noticed when Pilipili became sick suddenly and everyone thought she had contracted Rabies. We are told she came back limping and started wailing, biting things, and vomiting. We considered what everyone said about her, but ruling out rabies, we suspected a scorpion or snake bit her. She was in a lot of pain. But after treating her and staying with her, she is now recovered. She is among our many fighters!
Pilipili sits on a recovery blanket after being treated for the bite © Ewaso Lions
Solomon poses with Pilipili after he recovered © Ewaso Lions
15th September: We’ve been handling a medical emergency today. Mberus from Ngutuk Ongiron was bitten by a puff adder. It is the fourth case of snakebite we have treated in the past three weeks.
We put Mberus on a drip and aggressive treatments to see her out of the woods. We were happy to note Mberus made several attempts to wag her tail before we left; our pup was on the mend.
Mberus winces in pain from the puff adder bite © Ewaso Lions
A few days later, Solomon and Jessicah returned to check on Mberus and posted this:
18th September: Mberus is up and running (literally). All the kids had to help us shout out for her. She had gone out to explore the neighborhood, her much missed adventures!
Mberus comes to greet the MVU team © Ewaso Lions
Today we treated this little puppy. The boys are yet to give him a name. He was infested with cutaneous larval ectoparasites that burrow into the skin, leaving several wounds on his skin. We were however determined to see him recover. We removed all the parasites, treated all his wounds, and gave him medication.
Dr. Jessicah holds up a little puppy riddled with ectoparasites © Ewaso Lions
Nkurai poses for a photo, fully recovered © Ewaso Lions
All these healthy dogs are pillars of coexistence. Every healthy dog can warn herders better every day about the presence of wild carnivores, keeping both wildlife and livestock safe. And every cow, camel, and sheep that is saved can keep a family nourished in these trying drought times. An environment free of disease is a more resilient landscape, where coexistence can truly thrive.
Supported by the Wildlife Conservation Network and the Foundation for International Aid to Animals
