Toblerone - April 2007

Greetings from Namibia! Quite a lot has happened since your last update:

In mid-February, Toblerone, along with the rest of our resident cats, underwent her annual physical exam. As part of an ongoing study of gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) in captive cheetahs, several gastric biopsies were taken using an endoscope. This year for the first time, staff and volunteers were able to see inside of the esophagus and stomach via the endoscopic camera using a monitor. She was also given her annual vaccines against rabies and other feline diseases and Frontline was applied to help control flies and ticks. Toblerone still weighs 38 kilograms (83.6 pounds), the same as last year.

Toblerone is the bravest of the three sisters, and first with everything, from showing up to the bakkie to grabbing her meat. Her bond with her sisters is very strong, as was evidenced this year after her exam. We had to pull a tooth and she was put onto antibiotics twice a day for five days. Since it is difficult to feed twice a day (the cats don’t come to the car if they’ve already eaten earlier that day), we put her into a holding pen adjacent to the 64 hectare enclosure. When we came in the evenings to give her meds, we could hear her calling for her sisters the whole time, a high pitched chirping alternating with a meowing. After her course of medicine was done, she was definitely glad to get out and be with her sisters again.

Thank you again for sponsoring Toblerone and we hope that we can count on your continued support in the future.