Drought in Botswana had meant Lesedi and her foal Bontle were struggling to survive. Read about how their worried owner sought the help of the SPANA mobile clinic team and saved them from starvation.
This beautiful chestnut mare and foal were brought to one of our mobile clinics in Botswana by their owner, Mr Moabi. He’d become increasingly anxious about how thin his mare, Lesedi – meaning ‘light’ – was getting. A neighbour had recommended bringing his animals to SPANA as he knew they ran mobile clinics in the areas and could help the weakened mother and foal. Mr Moabi uses his animals to help him farm his land and feed his family and would be in trouble without them so knew he had to get help fast.
Lesedi was not only losing weight, but was becoming more lethargic as the days went on. Her foal, Bontle, which means ‘pretty’ in Botswana’s native language, was also taking longer and longer to feed from her. A drought in the area had meant that adequate nutrition for Lesedi was hard to find, but being a mother, she continued to feed her foal regardless. Lesedi and Bontle were also suffering from internal worms which can significantly impact the amount of nutrition that they get from the food they do manage to find.
After assessing the pair, SPANA Botswana’s Country Director, Pippa, dewormed and fed them both. She advised Mr Moabi on the best grazing available to the animals, even in drought. Pippa also replaced the simple rope bridles that Mr Moabi was using with much more comfortable nylon bridles and bits.
With this new knowledge, Mr Moabi was able to find nutritious grasses for the pair and Lesedi soon regained her strength, giving Bontle a brighter future as well.
I’m glad I found out about SPANA. Without them my mare would just get sicker, but now she is healthy. Thank you for your kind help.
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