No patient is too small for the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, who recently rescued an orphaned baby musk shrew.
‘TINY BUT MIGHTY! A baby Musk shrew (Crocidura) was found at Hartbeespoort dam, out in the open with no mother in sight. This tiny patient weighed in at 3.1g on arrival, and is now nearly 7g – only two weeks later!’ the Hospital posted on Facebook.
‘She has an incredible personality, which includes general shrew feistiness. Beginning on milk formula, she has moved on to eating worms, and is almost ready for release,’ they added. ‘No matter the size or species, we believe all indigenous wildlife matters.’
The Hospital have sent measurements to a small mammal specialist for the correct identification of the subspecies and will share this as soon as they receive it.
Shrews are widely distributed throughout southern Africa and their habitats are usually moist or dry savanna and temperate grassland. Did you know? Some species of shrews have toxic saliva released into victims when they get bitten, paralyzing their prey.
For more information on the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital and the work they do, visit www.johannesburgwildlifevet.com
Pictures: Ashleigh Pienaar
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