A beautiful horse Shandy April 2014

Threebanded courser bird

Published : 9 Apr, 2014

Karen Paolillo takes a couple of days off for the AGM of the Turgwe Hippo Trust in Harare, followed by a forgotten pleasure. Riding the most beautiful horse, Shandy, an Arab palomino. Then a visit to Tiki Hywood Trust to see Lisa Hywood and Ellen, meet Nia the Cape Clawless otter and Bateared foxes. Lisa and Ellen do an amazing job of working with endangered animals as well as injured or confiscated animals. Wherever possible they release them back into the wild. On the return to Turgwe Hippo Trust we meet Valentine the Threebanded courser bird whose release date is for later in the week. Valentine was hit by Jean-Roger at dusk in the pickup but fortunately the wing and leg have healed and he/she can now fly again.

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20 Comments

  1. Kathleen Lackey

    Love what you do thanks for sharing your videos. I give when I can love helping the animal through you. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.

    Reply
  2. Nancy Watkins

    Great pics. Loved the horse ride!! Fun to see the rehabilitation at the Tiki Hywood Trust. I hope “Valentine” has been released by now.

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Nancy I am waiting for Jean-Roger to be home to release Valentine bird, as you know Jean was in a traffic accident where a lorry driver nearly made me a widow, but thankfully Jean-Roger is fine but the two by two pickup is a write-off. So he will be home with a lift to a nearby place on Wednesday then hopefully we can let Valentine go on Friday. Love Karen and the hippos

      Reply
  3. Christian

    FANTASTIC!! The three-banded courser is beautiul! I love the lazy and skittish looks on the bat ear foxes! Seeing that beautiful horse being ridden reminded me of when I used to ride as a child (Western & English)! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Christian the courser is still with me as waiting for Jean-Roger to be home after his traffic accident. So next week we will release her/him. I sat on my first pony as a six month old baby and as a child everything I had had to do with ponies and horses and now I live and work with River Horses. Love Karen and the hippos

      Reply
  4. Jeanette Hipsey

    I think I broke the record for falling off the horses I used to ride at the stables in Wrangaton near Plymouth UK, and on the edge of Dartmoor! I count myself lucky to have escaped without injury, as I subsequentiy heard that one of the grooms ended up in the neurosurgical department at Derriford Hospital, where I worked during my career in the NHS, with a broken neck: she did recover well fortunately. This was back in the late 1960s, and at some point in the 1970s I gave up horse riding and went away and ‘did something else instead’! I am pleased to see the animal stories: I’ve certainly seen a bateared fox on a wildlife documentary on TV.

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Jeanette thanks for the comments and yep one can get hurt when you come off of a horse. As a child I took quite a lot of falls but they say you are not a horsewoman until you have come off at least seven times! Glad you are enjoying the web. Love Karen and Abe and all the hippos xxx

      Reply
  5. Lona Goudswaard

    Lovely video, thank you for having us look into some other rescue sites too and see the animals there. Kudos to all of you who work so hard to save the animals from harm and try to return them to wild when healed.

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Lona thanks for the comments most appreciated. Yes there are two animal rescue places in Harare that I completely believe in, one being Sarah Carter’s Twala Trust and the other being Lisa and Ellen at the Tiki Hywood Trust Love Karen and the hippos

      Reply
  6. Hilary Johnson

    I don’t imagine you get much opportunity to ride, Karen, and yet you look as if you do it every day. Deeply envious! Lovely to see the otter and the bat-eared foxes looking so well and happy, and as for Valentine . . . she puts me in mind of the Road Runner. Beautiful bird, and if she had to be hit by a car, she couldn’t have been more fortunate in the driver.

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Hilary thanks for the comments I haven’t ridden in years but it has always been my first love and darling Shandy is so special. She is sadly not well and I was trying her out for the lady whose daughter Holly has the pleasure of having Shandy. Shandy possibly has an ulcer but whatever it is we are hoping that she is getting better. Yes Valentine bird is a bit like a road runner. I am a bit upside down today as got a message to say Jean-Roger was in a traffic accident in Harare. Thank God he is ok. The mazda pickup is not and he cannot drive home. A lorry jack kniffed!!! waiting to hear from him as had the message second hand. Love to you and the King and Queen Karen and the hippos

      Reply
  7. Christine Stewart

    Thank you for the video of the wonderful animals. Diva Squiggle is always first in our hearts, but those little bat eared foxes and the otter are too cute for words!

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Christine so pleased you enjoyed seeing other animals Love Karen and the hippos x

      Reply
  8. Donna Fahrni

    Beautiful Arab horse, you are such a good rider! Love the otter, what a sweety and the bat ear foxes are beautiful too. I remember Lisa, from Tiki Hywood Trust as I have donated to them before to help a rescued Serval. Hope Valentine continues to heal, looks pretty good! Bless you all for helping the animals!!

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Donna thank you for the compliment its the first time I have seen myself on a horse but Shandy is very very special. My friend Oephebia an animal healer is about to work on Shandy as she has what we think is an ulcer but whatever it is she keeps going off her food and she needs to put weight back on, she is 19yrs old. Glad you helped Lisa in the past bless you Love Karen and the hippos

      Reply
  9. Catia

    Lovely horse…

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Catia yes Shandy is a beautiful horse and I just hope she gets better soon, she goes off her food and the vets think it may be an ulcer. I have my friend Oephebia working on her this weekend as she is an animal healer, x Karen and the hippos

      Reply
  10. Toby Wolter

    great to see all these animal lovers/rescuers in action! Looks like you have quite a variety to keep you busy.

    Reply
    • karen paolillo

      Hi Toby I mainly help hippos but any other animal that we can help we obviously will always step in, hence last year I fed the hippos due to lack of grazing but also any other animals came along as well to feed. We live in an area with all the main wild animals as in elephants, buffalo, antelope, lion etc. The otter and bat eared foxes are at my friends Trust Tiki Hywood Trust x Karen and the hippos

      Reply

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