Healthy Pets, Healthy Communities

At Limpopo-Lipadi, conservation does not stop at the Reserve fence. The villages of Tsetsebjwe and Moletemane are our neighbours, and the people who live there are part of the broader ecosystem we are committed to protecting. That is why Motse, our community initiative, exists.

Motse has always worked to improve the lives of people in both villages through education, healthcare and direct community support. This month, that work extended into an important new direction: the health of their animals.

Why pets matter in the bigger picture? Dogs and cats are central to daily life here. Dogs guard cattle posts and homesteads against predators. Cats keep rodents and snakes in check. But free-roaming, unvaccinated animals living on the edge of a wildlife reserve create risks that go in both directions. Disease does not respect fences. Rabies, distemper and parvovirus move between domestic animals and wildlife. This is what One Health captures: the health of people, their animals and the wildlife around them are inseparable.

Working with WildAssist Africa, Motse helped organise a pilot veterinary campaign in both villages. A team of volunteer vets and vet technicians from the US, Canada and Austria joined local professionals to run temporary clinics. In five days, 345 animals were vaccinated, dewormed and treated for parasites, and 20 animals were sterilised. People arrived on foot and by donkey cart, some having waited two days to be seen.

Motse engaged with village representatives, the Village Development Committees and the respective Kgosis ahead of the campaign. Limpopo-Lipadi provided accommodation, game drives and logistical support to the volunteer team. And the Reserve did not disappoint, with sightings of wild dogs, elephants, lions, brown hyena and more.

This is part of something larger, for now it was a pilot, and the results confirmed what we already suspected: the need is real and the communities are ready. Follow-up campaigns are being planned, with Limpopo-Lipadi and Motse continuing as a key partners on the ground. Our Reserve thrives when the communities around it thrive. Healthy pets, healthy people, healthy wildlife.

We are grateful to WildAssist Africa for leading this initiative, and to Kyron, V-Tech, Virbac South Africa, Medswana, Sedilega Hospital and the veterinary practices in Canada who donated drugs and consumables to make it possible.