The bluetongue virus is still spreading. This week the virus caused a drama at yet another North Holland petting zoo. The beloved sheep Bieke from the Aalsmeer Boerenvreugd did not survive the infection. The Vennepse petting zoo Dierenvreugd has been doing well so far.
“You can’t do more than hope. It’s really a matter of bad luck or luck,” Dierenvreugd manager Michiel Schreijnders told NH. He fears that it will soon be his sheep’s turn, but tries to keep the midges (small mosquitoes) that spread bluetongue away from his sheep as best he can.
“We ensure that the sheep stay away from wet places, because that is where the animals like to gather. For example, the manure tank and the pasture.” The sheep stay indoors or in the square around their pen at night until the danger has passed. “And we try to keep the animals as healthy as possible, so that their resistance is high. For example, we give them extra vitamins.”
At Boerenvreugd in Aalsmeer they tried to protect their sheep in the same way. That worked until this week, but then sheep Bieke and Dunya started convulsing and drooling. Animal caretaker Dominique van der Aar watched it with sorrow. “They got wounds in their mouths that became infected. That hurt a lot and turned into a bloody face.”
There is no vaccine yet, so the only thing the nurse could do is give painkillers and antibiotics. Together with the clients of Ons Tweede Thuis who voluntarily work on the farm, she tried to patch up the sheep again. That worked for Dunya, but not for Bieke.
Monarch
Volunteer Kim Tichelaar finds it difficult to digest. “It’s very sad for us, but it’s better for her. We took care of her for a really long time. She was a nice sheep, really very sociable and always cheerful,” she says. It reassures the employees that Dunya has probably built up immunity, but they are concerned about the other sheep.
Both Boerenvreugd and Dierenvreugd realize that it may take some time before a vaccine is available. So they hope that the temperature will soon become too low for the midges. “But then there really has to be frost,” Michiel knows.
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