Mdzananda clinic appeals to motorists to slow down

PHIRI CAWE

It was only thanks to a flower bed that no animals were killed when a driver crashed through the fence at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha on Saturday April 30.

The flower bed, which is surrounded by recycled tyres and concrete, acted as a barrier and stopped the vehicle.

The white bakkie had come down Batandwa Ndondo Road, past the stop street, over Govan Mbeki Road and crashed through the fence of the clinic, stopping just three metres from the cat ward.

The crash also left the dogs nearby traumatised as they have extremely sensitive hearing.

Michael Ndzube, caretaker at the clinic, said the dogs had to be treated for shock.

“When I heard a big bang I rushed here and I saw it was a bakkie. I tried to rush to it, but it was gone. You know how dogs fear a sound of a gun and other heavy sounds, they shake and want to leave. This is what they went through. They were left in fear. But we are dealing with them,” Mr Ndzube said.

He said the trauma the dogs’ experienced can change their behaviour but, fortunately, they have trained staff to help them.

In a statement, fundraising and communications manager, Marcelle du Plessis, said they were grateful that none of the pets were hurt during the incident.

“It is a miracle that the car did not hurt one of our stray dogs as the little ones are always playing along the side of the fence in the flower beds. It is lucky that the incident happened late at night as they were probably all sleeping and it is a miracle that none of them climbed through the damaged fence once the car left. As our funding is always tight, replacing a fence is not something we can afford with our current budget,” said Ms Du Plessis.

Rosalind Spencer-Stone, the clinic’s hospital manager, said from the damage it was clear that the car was stopped by the concrete and decorative recycled tyre edge of the flower bed.

“The next morning, a Sunday, we started with a rush to repair the fence in such a way that none of the pets could escape. Our handy caretaker, Mr Ndzube, tied together the edges of the fence and placed a new piece of fencing over the damage to ensure that none of the dogs could escape,” she said.

Mr Ndzube has appealed to people driving near to be careful. He said people can learn from pets and we can communicate with them. “They are very clever creatures that we should really love and take care of of,” he said.