White lioness finally home after lifesaving op in Pretoria

A rare white lioness named Iris has finally retuned home to Waterberg Wildlife Sanctuary following life-saving surgery in Pretoria where her intestines were removed and then put back again.

The sanctuary staff first became worried when she lost appetite and her health quickly began to deteriorate.

Iris was rushed to Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic in Villieria, where she underwent complex surgery with Dr Peter Caldwell.

On October 12, the sanctuary said Iris had made it through the surgery.

A foreign object, which had caused over 30 lacerations, had been discovered in her intestines.

The surgery lasted a gruelling five hours, but Dr Caldwell managed to remove the nylon thread that had wreaked havoc inside Iris’s body.

After the recovery period under the watchful eye of her medical team, Iris was finally taken home on Wednesday, November 8.

Sanctuary co-founder Rozelda Crewe confirmed Iris was back home and doing well.

“She is doing amazing. She has an appetite that you wouldn’t believe. And considering they had totally removed all of her intestines and found 37 lacerations to her colon that they had to fix,” Crewe told Rekord.

“If it wasn’t for Dr Caldwell that pushed through for five hours like he did, Iris wouldn’t be with us today.”

Crewe said Iris was still a young lioness that had her own camp at the sanctuary, but they have a partner they wanted to introduce to her.

“Once she is completely healed, we will look to introduce her to her partner.

“Iris has never been with another lion, so the process to introduce [them] is a little more difficult, but we definitely are going to find a way.”

Pretoria-based emergency services, SVTA EMS, stepped in to make sure Iris arrived home safely.

“We needed transport for Iris without any disturbances, and luckily SVTA and ourselves have a very strong relationship,” said Crewe.

The emergency services said the unique patient transport was a very special moment for their team.

“We at SVTA-EMS are honoured to be a part of this experience to transport her today back to her home Waterberg Wildlife Sanctuary.”

The sanctuary manager and Iris’s “human dad”, Bradley Botten  expressed gratitude towards everyone that assisted in Iris’s care.

“Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for your act of kindness,” he wrote on Facebook.

“[The SVTA EMS] team’s professionalism and compassion were evident in every interaction, and it was comforting to know that Iris was in such capable hands. The journey home could have been stressful, but your team made it as smooth and comfortable as possible.”

Botten also thanked an anonymous donor who generously contributed to Iris’s vet bills.

“You have reminded us that there are still people in this world who choose to lead with their hearts, and for that, we thank you.”

“We may not know your name or face, but your kindness has left an indelible mark on our hearts.”

 

See more here: https://fb.watch/oci5hX2iuo/

 

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