Turtle Release Video

Baby hawksbill turtles in bucket awaiting release

I recently went to Magdalena Grand to see S.O.S. Tobago release Hawksbill turtle hatchlings to the ocean. I took my camera, did some filming and put together this short video with some of my original music. Enjoy. And check out www.sos-tobago.org to learn more about how you can help to protect these wonderful creatures.

Post by Elspeth Duncan.

Tobago Terriers Unite

Click here for me and Venus featured in People of Trinidad and Tobago ... a wonderful initiative/project by Rashmi Mathur.

May all 'Tobago Terriers' find their true home. Same goes for us humans! ;)

Seeking loving home for Ramona and Seal

Please click on image to enlarge.

Ramona and Seal are two adorable pups ("Tobago Terriers") who were found near Healing with Horses stables in Buccoo, Tobago. They are now at the Tobago TTSPCA. The friend who originally said she would take them can no longer do so due to unanticipated circumstances.

I would like them to be adopted together as they are sisters and are very close to each other. It would be a shame to separate them.

They are loving, playful, adventurous, curious, healthy, brave, well behaved, good with children and people in general. They will make great companions for their new owner and, I am sure, will be very loyal and protective. 

If you are in Trinidad and you want them & can give them a great home, I will bring them over for you on the ferry.

Thank you.

Elspeth
 

Ramona and Seal

On Wednesday, before teaching children's yoga, I was on the grounds of Healing with Horses. Veronika's house guest appeared holding a small brown and black pup that had been hiding under her cabin. A few minutes later she came back with another one—a black one. Both female, obviously sisters and obviously dumped/abandoned by someone who didn't want them.

Two children who were there to ride horses became fascinated with the pups and began playing with them. The little boy was 'massaging' them and the little girl was stroking them. At one point the boy yelled out: "Ouch!" and the little girl turned to me and whispered: "He just got bitten on his privates."

The little girl named them Ramona (brown and black one) and Seal (black one).

I left Ramona and Seal with the children while I went to teach yoga ... and returned to find the two exhausted pups fast asleep. They slept in a cardboard box all the way home and for a few hours into the night. I was babysitting them overnight, to take them to TTSPCA the next day, for treatment for worms, etc and also to be put up for adoption.

It is difficult to part with animals. They imprint themselves on the heart so quickly.

Just before leaving for the TTSPCA the next day, I was outside eating a piece of watermelon. I gave a piece to Seal and she ignored it. Ramona took it and went inside with it where she quietly consumed in near to the cardboard box. She then came back outside to see what else was on the agenda.

I began to run around the pool and the two of them took after me, running, ears flapping, but not able to catch up. Eventually Seal stopped, realising that if she stayed where she was, eventually I would come back around to her. Ramona, seeing me on the other side of the pool, thought it would be a shorter route if she cut across the width of the pool, as opposed to going around it. I heard a loud splash, and there she was with her terrified little face, paddling rapidly towards me.

Here she is, wet and bedraggled, wrapped in a hand towel after her swimming adventure.

They are currently at the TTSPCA, being treated. As each day passes, they continue to run through my mind, calling out to me: "Please adopt us ..."

I'm back & Sprout update

I have no photos to show from the first week of intensive yoga training. Immersion in the actual experience was my only focus.  Yoga every day, sometimes from as early as 4:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and other days from 8:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. It was like being in heaven. In fact, it was heaven.To be doing something you love for an entire day, with kindred spirits and with nothing else from "outside life" to attend to for those seven days.

Everyone else went home at the end of the day, as they all lived in the West. Being from the East, I opted to camp out in the garden of our venue for the week, rather than commute. I slept in a massive, spacious dome-shaped tent, with doors and windows and mosquito mesh. At the end of a long day I would return to my "cave" and sleep, having intense dreams and lots of inner transformation.

With so much yoga, it is inevitable. We all had many shifts and realisations—inner and outer.

I don't feel very wordy, so this is as much as I will muster up as a recap of the experience.

To close, on an entirely different note, I'll share some images sent by Sprout's new owner, who also adopted his foster mother (now called Gabby). Both cats are doing fine and, as you'll see from the photos, Sprout has certainly sprouted.

Sprout is being adopted!

A short while ago, I got an email that made me scream with joy and immediately run to the phone to dial the sender to thank her profusely. I will copy and paste her email below. While reading it, you will agree with me that she is the IDEAL companion for Sprout (who turns out to be a boy, not a girl).

Talking with Halcyon on the phone and hearing the excitement and joy and love in her voice, I have no doubt that little Sprout is going to the right home and will have a very happy life!

Woohooooooooo!

The email (also as a comment on the last Sprout post):

Elspeth,

I just wanted to let you know that I went to see Sprout today, and have decided to adopt him. BTW he is a boy. I have no clue how I stumbled upon your blog yesterday, and read the "update" posting. Before I had even read the first posting of his rescue and survival, I had already decided that I would adopt him. After reading that first posting about his survival and yoga start...I absolutely knew he was the kitten for me. I have spent months pondering the adoption of a kitten, as I lost my beloved 13 year old cat last April. Ironically his name was Baby Cat...and he was 27lbs of girth. My heart has been broken since his passing, and I did not think I would ever be able to have another cat. But Sprout has changed that.

I was always told that I would know when the time was right...and I know that this is that time. I have to wait three weeks before bringing little Sprout home....

Thanks so much for rescue-ing him...nurturing him....and blogging about him.

Warm regards,

Halcyon

Sprout (the kitten) update

Tiny Sprout on the day she was found (1st week of Feb)

In case you missed it, here is the story of how Sprout the kitten was found.

And here is the story about her being adopted by a mother cat with two nursing kittens at Vinmer Vet Clinic.

Sprout as of yesterday

Yesterday before yoga class, one of my students and I went to see Sprout, as Vinmer is near to The Sangha (formerly Moksha Yoga Trinidad).

Sprout is a lot bigger now—almost the size of the other two kittens who were about three times her size when I first took her in. For the whole time we were there visiting, Sprout was suctioned onto a nipple, drinking to her heart's content. Once finished, she lazily pulled herself away and fell asleep.

She is up for adoption and deserves a loving home. If you are a genuine cat lover, please consider her as your new companion. You can call Gina (the Vinmer vet) at 628-2773 to arrange a visit.

A new life for Sprout the orphaned kitten

Sprout feeds from her new mother

Yesterday when I took Sprout, the orphaned kitten, to the vet, the vet looked at her and said, "She looks just like the others" (same colouring as the mother cat's two kittens).

Turns out that Sprout is approximately two weeks old—older than the other two kittens who are 6 days old . . . yet Sprout is less than half their size! The fact that Sprout has one eye open indicates her possible age.

To prepare Sprout to be placed in the pet carrier with the mother cat, the vet rubbed her against one of the other kittens, then put her in. The mother immediately took to her, accepting her as one of her own, licking her fur and her genitalia.

We had to help Sprout to find the nipple, but once her mouth got hold of it, there was no letting go! She drank to her heart's content and when she was done, she curled up and fell asleep with her new siblings.

This morning I called the vet to find out how Sprout was doing and she told me she was fast asleep with the other kittens, looking very content.

Now to find her a good home for when she's old enough to be adopted.

Guaranteed to be a very sweet pet.

Are you destined to have her?

Jasper is more curious than jealous at this stage

Yesterday, despite pouring rain, a friend and I took a break and went to San Fernando on the water taxi.As you may know, the San Fernando wharf is densely populated with stray cats. On the way back to the water taxi after our San F'do excursion, we noticed two very young kittens dead in a puddle. They had probably been washed down from wherever they were by the heavy rain. Next to them was another kitten, its head smashed in. Then my friend noticed another kitten, eyes not yet open, bravely dragging her way through wet bush and mud on the other side of the locked gate before us.

Luckily she was moving in our direction. I stretched my arm through the bars, pinched the skin on her neck and lifted her. She was covered in muddy water. We took her to the bathroom, wiped her off, wrapped her in toilet paper and put her in a plastic sieve purchased for the purpose of sprouting beans. (Hence the reason I named her Sprout). We smuggled her onto the boat, safely nestled in her new receptacle.

She is a survivor and it is her destiny to be elevated beyond the life into which she was born.

 Using a syringe, I have been feeding her Enfamil Premium Infant 1 Formula (for babies 0 - 12 months old). She drinks it in small doses, scrambles around a bit, then sleeps, wrapped in my homemade "Vote for Kamla/make Herstory" t-shirt and either on my lap or in a gift box. Last night was somewhat sleepless, as I had to wake every hour or so to feed her and make sure she was warm.

Sprout attached to my body for yoga

At this age, when she would normally be accustomed to the warmth of her mother and siblings, it's good to hold her as much as possible for body heat. When I woke to do yoga, I strapped her against my body using a piece of turban cloth. Together we tuned in, but it was difficult to do warm ups and a kriya without waking her—so I did a quiet Sat Kriya and closed with some chanting so she could get the vibrations.

Praying mantis sitting on base of lamp after sadhana

 Afterward, I realised that the insect that had been flying around us in the lamplight during chanting was a Praying Mantis. It felt very fitting and sacred. I thought: "Whoever adopts Sprout will have a special yogic kitten."

Sprout feeling totally relaxed after yoga

This morning I will take Sprout to Vinmer Vet clinic, where there is a mother cat with two nursing kittens.  Once the mother cat accepts her and allows her to suckle, I will leave her there to be nourished properly and bond with her own species.

One day soon she will be ready to be adopted. As Jasper is a strictly one-woman cat, I won't keep her, but I know that the perfect owner is out there . . . maybe even reading this . . . maybe even you.

The Freedom of Sat Nam

Sat Nam

I met this turtle on the sidewalk yesterday during my morning walk after sadhana. The heavy rains must have washed her up from the river or a drain. I named her Sat - short for Saturday (the day she was found), but also "Sat" (meaning Truth). Her surname is "Nam" (meaning name or identity). Together they mean "Truth is my identity." This mantra Sat Nam is used a lot in Kundalini Yoga and refers to the Universal Truth in all of us.

Speaking of Universal Truth, the shell and underbelly of the turtle are used in some cultures as a tool for divination. Their markings are believed to be a map of the stars, as well as ancient sacred writings. The Chinese saw the turtle's four feet as four corners of the world, holding up the globe - hence the powerful, grounded earth energy that is associated with this animal.

The message they bring as power animals - slow down, be patient, ground yourself to the Earth's power, go within and seek inner knowledge.

The below video shows Sat Nam being relocated to the wetlands at the back of Spring Village south of the highway in St. Augustine.

Important: How to care for an injured baby bird

Jasper observes Bird

When this little bird came to me a few days ago (and shortly after, died in my hands), I wrote to Detta (Wildlife Orphanage and Rehabilitation Centre - WORC) and told her about it. She is currently out of the country and sent a detailed email. I'm sharing it because at some point or another most of us come across baby birds that fall from their nests or are victims of attack. I can tell you from experience, it is very rewarding to nurse an injured animal back to health ... especially a bird, to see it fly off.

From Detta's email:
When you find a baby bird ( any bird) pick it up gently but securely and examine it for any wounds, broken legs, etc. Gently turning it over in the palm of your hand so that the chest is facing you (you can keep your hand in such a position that the bird is still vertical) ease out each wing at right angles to the body, checking the bones of the wing. They are in the same arrangement as your arm. From the inside view any breaks or punctures are easily visible.

In this case there may not have been anything you could have done . The pussy eyes may suggest an infection or pox contracted from pigeons. This would also have caused the swollen nares.

The pigeon pox is a virus and highly contagious to doves and certain other native birds. This is the reason I don't take in pigeons unless they have a pigeon club band. I have another resource person who handles them.

You could give simple triage easily. Keep some supplies in the house: peroxide, Q-Tips, cotton wool, iodine and children's Painol. Mix a small quantity of Peroxide and h2o (half &half) and using Q-tips or cotton wool, completely clean the wound and the surrounding area. Because birds don't have a liquid lymphatic system, and creams make a mess of feathers, I use powdered antibiotics. A good standard is Beneocin. It's a broad spectrum and well tolerated. If you know your doctor well enough and he trusts you, you could ask for a prescription, explaining why you want it.

Pain management is an often talked about problem, I have found the simplest thing is Painol, but if you can get ARNICA in a tablet or powder it would be better as it is homeopathic. Either get it down the birds throat or mix with a little water and give it with a dropper from the side of the beak, a drop at a time.

Just a cautionary note: When putting liquid down a bird's throat make sure you avoid the glottis. This is the opening on the back of the birds tongue. It is the airway to its lungs. Also remember that these are very small organisms and don't have much body mass. Use only very small quantities of the drug.

Lastly, keep it warm and secure. I have a cheap heating electric pad which I place under the cage at night. You could keep the bird in a box in a quiet and warm place in the house.

Finally: my valued resource person is quite close to you, Dr.Gabriel Brown. He is the avian specialist at the vet school, and you will find him in the small building on the south perimeter road as you pass the new Oncology unit, and the incinerator of the vet school. There is parking off the road but you have to walk round the corner to the glass door. Alternately you could drive around to the Small Animal Clinic, drive past it into the bovine area and the little building is facing you. In this case it would have been useful to have taken the little body up to him for a necropsy. This way you would get some information back on what happened to it. It also provides the students with useful experience.

I have a small styrene container in which I transport little bodies. The protocol they prefer is to have the animal/bird placed in a clean zip-lock bag as soon after it expires as possible. This way they can examine the parasites it may carry and then place it in the carrier with a few zip-lock bags of ice. No freezing.

FOOTNOTE FROM DETTA:

In the case of baby birds or an injury case, it is important to identify the species it order to feed it correctly. On the wrong diet, the bird will not survive.

Richard ffrench's book "the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago" has excellent plates for ID and some information on their habits and food sources. Be cautious when taking information off the net. The same species may occur in the southern USA but have different diets and are adapted to those, whereas, the same species from Venezuela, the Guyanas, and the amazon may have more closely related habits.

Finally, it is extremely important, to consider that you are helping this individual to survive and return to its own environment. Only if the individual is crippled and unable to survive in the wild should it become domesticated (habituated) and then a permit should be sought from the FORESTRY DIVISION, or it could be turned over to an established Rehabilitation Centre, for use.

THANK YOU, DETTA.