SOUTH AFRICA

Nearly 100caged baboons had the frightof their lives when the inundated Olifants river climbedunder their cages at a remotereserve in northern SouthAfrica recently. Rescueworkers worked night andday to carry the baboons andsome other animals like jackals, civets, warthogs andmonkeys to the, centre foranimal rehabilitation andeducation, located near the renowned Kruger NationalPark. Two veterinariansarmed with dart guns audsedatives, were flown to therescue site to sedate thebaboons. The animals werethen moved to highergrounds one by one as vehicles could not reach theflooded area, and placed intemporary -cages. In one ofthe worst flooding incidentsacross northern South Africain decades, the normallycalm river rose after five daysof heavy rainfall whichclaimed 13 lives and affectedscores of people.