An ode was written for the aardvark that washed up on Sunset Beach over the weekend. South African journalist, columnist, author, and poet, Clarissa McFairy recently wrote the poem.
Photographers Alex and Juanita discovered the aardvark on Sunset Beach in Milnerton after she washed up on shore at around 6 pm on Friday, 13 January. They captured pictures of the African Ant Bear before the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds transported her to wildlife services to evaluate the cause of death.
Picture: Alex and Juanita Aitkenhead
READ: Aardvark washes up on Cape Town’s Sunset Beach, Milnerton
Dr Luca Mendes, attending wildlife veterinarian, performed the autopsy and ruled out drowning as a cause of death. It’s suspected that animal trafficking was involved.
Alex Aitkenhead asked his friend, McFairy to write an ode to the aardvark:
Your long dear nose
has me in tears
A jetty to my heart
Farewell
sweet One
washed up like a wave
You were once a wave
of eager beaver bliss
Sniffing for a whiff
A morsel of kindness
Any sorrows
drowned with you
Dear Aardvark
Bless your burrowing toes
May the soft sands
of Sunset Beach
be a resting place
from the wild seas
May kind people
salute your soul
and cover your dear nose
All I can do
is cover my face
in tears
by Clarissa McFairy
(January 2023)
Source: Cape Town Etc.
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ALSO READ: Update: Post-mortem results on Sunset Beach Aardvark revealed
