Hi everyone this New Year video is slightly late as my laptop crashed just before Christmas. I had to work on Jean-Roger’s but fortunately had saved most of my work on hard drive. I also have a great webmaster who managed to get me my emails for all the Christmas donations, adoptions and purchases of calendar and books. I now have my laptop back and it is fixed but the wonderful computer guy Andreas who we work with, says it should last a year or more hopefully.

The best news was on December 28th I finally finished feeding all the hippos and other wildlife, a total of around 315 wild animals, including 22 hippos. Fed for over eight months daily at ten feeding stations. All this thanks to everyone who donated to help keep them alive. Or adopted a hippo, and purchased merchandise. All of this was a donation towards saving their lives.

A huge thank you to the Anthony Martin Foundation in the UK whose grant kept everyone going by paying transport and food for six weeks at one stage. This was when the coffers were completely drained. Without all of you none of this would have been possible. 3 buffalo bulls got names out of many buffalo that fed, they Bill, Cheeky and Beautiful would never have survived without you. Animals did die but not where I fed them.

Species that fed were the following: Hippos, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, bushbuck, eland, waterbuck, warthogs, bushpigs, occasionally rhino, then civets, birds, monkeys, baboons, porcupine and rodents. With a few predators gaining a meal or two like lion, leopard, hyena and wildcat.  

We have had more rain but it has been so hot and humid that we need a lot more to fall now in January through to April.  The river is low and the grass is not long and the grass is starting to turn blue, due to the excess heat and lack of rain.  I am confident that we will get more rain, it is just a question of how much.  I will keep you all informed.  

In the meantime I thank all of those again that have taken the time to help these amazing animals continue to have lives in the wild, thanks to the feeding program and your financial assistance. I salute you all.

Love Karen and all the hippos January 2025.