Romanian wild horses
Horse Lucky's will to survive

A small team around the FOUR PAWS vet who is treating the foal Stelica on a temporary enclosure in Cardon is also taking care of the injured horse Lucky. Like many other animals, Lucky was wounded when a group of wild horses was illegally caught to be sold off to a slaughterhouse last spring. The care workers got extremely worried about an abdominal colic after they found Lucky lying on the ground in severe pain. It became evident very quickly, how serious the situation was, which ended up saving the horse's life. It was sedated and received extensive treatment, but also after a night, in which the helpers took turns in staying with the animal, Lucky's condition did not improve. An operation would have been very risky due to his still rather fragile state. Therefore more alternative measures were taken until the convulsions seemed to wear off after 24 dramatic hours. After a few days of close monitoring everyone was relieved that Lucky had won the fight against his own body.

Currently, there are also quite a few dogs on the farm. The volunteers found five puppies on the road between Cardon and the camp. Villagers have since confirmed that they were abandoned - a very common practise that is ultimately responsible for the ever increasing number of stray animals in Eastern Europe. FOUR PAWS has been advocating a modern EU-wide companion animal legislation and a humane manner of treating strays for years. The five puppies were brought to the camp where they were fed, de-wormed and provided with a warm shelter. Due to the severe weather conditions and the temporary nature of the project, the team is trying to find them new homes.

Wounded dogs
A few weeks ago two severely injured dogs were dropped off at the camp. The FOUR PAWS vet is currently the only veterinarian in the entire area and word has got around. The dogs showed severe injuries from a hunting match, in which they had to face a wild boar - gruesome animal fights are still very frequent in this part of Europe. One of the dogs had half of his face and neck torn open and the other one featured many deep puncture injuries: both had lost a lot of blood. Their wounds were cleaned under anaesthesia, after which a therapy with antibiotics and painkillers was started, which will be continued. In a few weeks time, the horses will be set free in their natural habitat, bringing an end to this ambitious care project. Lucky, Stelica and the other animals will be released in good health, thanks to the excellent work done by the small team at the Cardon enclosure.

Photos Copyright by Alex Tanasescu & Alexandra F.

2011.11.28

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