The following morning, Thursday, Rose and Craig were seated at the old wooden dining table on their covered patio. Rose dipped her spoon into a bowl of home-made granola, fruit and yogurt as Kipto walked out of the cottage holding Rose’s ringing mobile phone at arm’s length.
Rose read Julius’s name on the display. He was the head warden at the Mount Kenya Animal Orphanage, which had recently been incorporated into the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.
“Habari, Mama Rose,” said Julius in an excited voice. “Someone has left us two baby ostriches in a cardboard box.”
“Really?” she exclaimed. “Do you know where they came from?”
“I do not know, but can you come and look at them? And advise us what to do. They appear very young to me.”
Rose had promised to spend some time with Craig this morning, but she couldn’t ignore Julius’s request or neglect his young charges. She worked as a community vet, attending to the injuries and illnesses suffered by cats and dogs, wildlife, and larger farm animals in Nanyuki and the surrounding area.
Her official government-recognised title was a veterinary paraprofessional, and she was formally accountable to her friend, Dr Emma, the only qualified vet in Nanyuki. Dr Emma preferred to treat smaller animals in her town centre pharmacy, which doubled up as an operating theatre and treatment room. She left Rose to administer to the needs of larger animals, those located outside Nanyuki and most of the wildlife cases.
Rose hesitated before responding to Julius. “Of course. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”
She placed the phone on the table and looked at Craig.
“Trouble?” he asked as his shoulders slumped.
She realised that he was disappointed, expecting her to jump up and leave him to attend to whatever emergency had been conveyed by the phone call. She brightened and asked, “How do you fancy a trip to the animal orphanage? You haven’t been there for ages and it would give us a chance to try out that wheelchair the Cottage Hospital has lent us.”
Craig licked his lips in anticipation, but then frowned. “But you couldn’t manage all that on your own, and it sounds as if you have patients to deal with.”
She placed her elbow on the table and massaged her chin. “I could drive your old Subaru and then we could take Samwell with us to help you. I think the wheelchair should fit in the back. Anyway, it might be easier for you than climbing in and out of my old Defender.”
Rose turned the ignition key, and despite not being driven for over four months, Craig’s grey Subaru Forester purred into life. She placed a hand on Craig’s knee and asked him, “Are you all right?”
He nodded, but she could see the pain in his eyes from struggling to get into the car. She turned to Samwell in the back and said, “Sawa.”
“Sawa, Memsaab,” he replied.
The journey to the animal orphanage was only fifteen minutes, and the road was smooth and tarmacked as far as the Mount Kenya Resort and Spa. They turned away from the hotel entrance and bounced uncomfortably along a rutted track for two hundred metres, before turning towards the entrance of the animal orphanage. Rose parked in a shaded area under an open-fronted wooden shed.
Julius turned to close the entrance gate and then strode to meet them. He rushed forward to help Samwell manoeuvre Craig from the car into the wheelchair, and then stood back proclaiming, “Bwana Hardie, today is truly fine as you are visiting with Mama Rose. Welcome.”
He rushed back to reopen the entrance gate and ushered his guests through. Rose carried her green medical bag, but he insisted on taking it from her as he led them towards a small, single-storey stone building, in the centre of a lawned area.
“The baby ostriches are inside.” He looked uncertainly from Rose to Craig.
In a bright voice Craig said, “Don’t worry about me. I’d like to see the mountain bongo.” He turned and looked up at Samwell, who was pushing his wheelchair. “Have you ever seen bongo?”
Samwell narrowed his eyes in confusion and shook his head.
“Then you’re in for a treat.” As Samwell pushed Craig’s wheelchair towards the bongo paddock, Rose heard Craig lecturing him about the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy’s programme to replenish the number of bongo, Africa’s rarest antelope, in its original Mount Kenya habitat.
She followed Julius into his office and opened a brown cardboard box. Inside, she discovered two fawn-coloured birds with long necks, wide eyes and unstable legs. Their backs were covered in fluffy down rather than the beautiful feathers they would develop as adults.
They immediately started moving around the box, pecking curiously and attempting to escape their confined space. Rose knew that small, vulnerable baby ostriches made an enticing meal in the wild, so they developed the ability to run, almost as soon as they emerged from their shells. As she gazed at the small figures, she hoped they would survive and grow to their full size, as the largest bird species in the world.
She turned, looked up at Julius, and asked, “Where do you propose keeping them? They’re too large for the brooder boxes you have here, but they will need a heated, draught-free environment.”
Julius nodded and responded, “I’ve asked two of my men to line one of the indoor animal enclosures with cardboard from discarded boxes, to provide extra insulation and to stop cold air seeping in. We are proposing to hang a heat lamp from the ceiling, but suspend it high enough that the ostriches cannot reach it. Do you think we should cover the floor with sawdust?”
“Yes, at least to start with. But these inquisitive birds may soon peck the cardboard to bits.” She looked back at the ostriches and said, “And as we don’t know where they’ve come from, I propose we begin by washing them with an iodine solution to guard against bacterial infection.”
Rose stood up and reached for her bag as Julius asked, “What shall we feed them?”
She searched her bag and removed a bottle of dark purple-coloured liquid which she placed on Julius’s desk.
She leaned against the edge and said, “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t offer food or water until the chicks are about a week old, as they have fluid in their feathers that needs to be absorbed. But as we don’t know what these two have been through, I recommend placing a shallow dish of water in their pen. They may not know how to drink, so see if you can find a brightly coloured dish, and a small mirror which you can place at the bottom of it, and hopefully that will attract them to the water bowl. It’s important to keep them hydrated.”
She turned and looked at the young ostriches. “As for food, I suggest some finely chopped alfalfa. Do you have any?”
Julius shook his head and raised his hands.
She leaned towards him. “Don’t worry, I have some growing in my shamba. It’s a key ingredient for my herbal mixes. I’ll pick some when I get home and send it up here with a boda boda. It would also aid their digestion to add very small pieces of grit to their food, about the size of grains of rice.”
Julius placed a hand on his chest and said soberly, “Thank you, Mama Rose. I really appreciate your help.”
Rose pushed herself away from the table, turned and picked up the iodine bottle. “Let’s get these little ones washed and inspect their new enclosure,” she announced.
Julius carried the box of ostriches to a secure external pen, which extended out from the internal enclosure where they were to be housed. Rose diluted the iodine in a bucket of water. Julius put on a pair of leather gloves and picked up the first small ostrich, which twisted its long neck and pecked at him.
“Keep it steady,” said Rose, as she carefully wiped its body with the solution. After completing the process with both birds, they introduced them to their new enclosure. One moved forward, wobbled on its long legs, and then scurried towards the far wall. After a moment’s hesitation, the second one followed.
Rose watched the birds explore their new environment. One even ventured over to the water tray but did not drink from it.
“The temperature in here needs to be kept at around thirty degrees centigrade for the next few days, and then it can be dropped to between twenty-six and twenty-nine degrees,” she said. “I’ll send the alfalfa for them to eat and we’ll see how they get on.”