Mangaia Vet Trek IV
Day 4- Island explorations
For our last day of work on Mangaia the focus was on farm animals, our trip after all being sponsored by the Ministry for Agriculture. So while Jo and Olivia finished off the last of the desexing operations, Gregg and I, along with a team of enthusiastic assistants, headed out to castrate a pig. Now, pig castration is not normally a big job. But then it is also normally performed on wee little piglets … whereas our patient today was at least 70kg and easily twenty times the size of any pig I had previously castrated. But what’s life without a little excitement? Happily, our combination of sedation, local anaesthetic and manpower worked like a treat and before too long mr pig was back rooting around, we were back on the road, and the owner was heading out back to commit a pair of over-sized testicles to the grave.
The rest of the day was dedicated to training the ministry staff in the administration of pig and goat de-worming treatments. So, after a lesson on how to estimate doses, draw up the drug, and give injections safely it was time to put the team to work (under careful supervision of course) … Thus followed a fairly entertaining session where everyone encouraged and egged each other along to see who was the best at giving injections. While the majority of the repartee was incomprehensible to us in maori, the smiles and enthusiasm were plain to see, and by the end of the experience everyone seemed confident and competent in the basic procedures.
Perhaps the best part of all the farm animal work we’ve done on this vet trek, at least from a traveler’s perspective, was that it took us off the beaten track and out into the places that normally only the locals go. The scenery and landscapes of Mangaia are amazing- from the coast to the interior, the tangled jungle and taro swamps, the cliffs and caves … each winding, slippery, narrow track took us someplace unique and different. That’s not to say that all were idyllic- there were some mud wallows that I’m sure have left a permanent red stain on our skin; and other swamps so heavily infested with mosquitoes that if you stood still for 5 seconds you had at least 5 bites, and I’m quite sure if you stood still for a few hours you would quite conceivably faint from blood loss. But such troubles fade into insignificance when compared to the incredible island that we’ve been fortunate enough explore and experience, and the wonderful locals who have shown us around.
Day 4 tally-
3 female cats, 3 male cats, 1 female dog, 1 male dog and 1 male pig all de-sexed
15 pigs and 14 goats treated for worms and fleas (in addition to the surgical cases)
For our last day of work on Mangaia the focus was on farm animals, our trip after all being sponsored by the Ministry for Agriculture. So while Jo and Olivia finished off the last of the desexing operations, Gregg and I, along with a team of enthusiastic assistants, headed out to castrate a pig. Now, pig castration is not normally a big job. But then it is also normally performed on wee little piglets … whereas our patient today was at least 70kg and easily twenty times the size of any pig I had previously castrated. But what’s life without a little excitement? Happily, our combination of sedation, local anaesthetic and manpower worked like a treat and before too long mr pig was back rooting around, we were back on the road, and the owner was heading out back to commit a pair of over-sized testicles to the grave.
The rest of the day was dedicated to training the ministry staff in the administration of pig and goat de-worming treatments. So, after a lesson on how to estimate doses, draw up the drug, and give injections safely it was time to put the team to work (under careful supervision of course) … Thus followed a fairly entertaining session where everyone encouraged and egged each other along to see who was the best at giving injections. While the majority of the repartee was incomprehensible to us in maori, the smiles and enthusiasm were plain to see, and by the end of the experience everyone seemed confident and competent in the basic procedures.
Perhaps the best part of all the farm animal work we’ve done on this vet trek, at least from a traveler’s perspective, was that it took us off the beaten track and out into the places that normally only the locals go. The scenery and landscapes of Mangaia are amazing- from the coast to the interior, the tangled jungle and taro swamps, the cliffs and caves … each winding, slippery, narrow track took us someplace unique and different. That’s not to say that all were idyllic- there were some mud wallows that I’m sure have left a permanent red stain on our skin; and other swamps so heavily infested with mosquitoes that if you stood still for 5 seconds you had at least 5 bites, and I’m quite sure if you stood still for a few hours you would quite conceivably faint from blood loss. But such troubles fade into insignificance when compared to the incredible island that we’ve been fortunate enough explore and experience, and the wonderful locals who have shown us around.Day 4 tally-
3 female cats, 3 male cats, 1 female dog, 1 male dog and 1 male pig all de-sexed
15 pigs and 14 goats treated for worms and fleas (in addition to the surgical cases)
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11:14 AM
