animal communication
Remembering Horses Killed by Bees Te tragic death of Scoop and Charger
epitomizes the love and sacrifice of two horses by Nikki Tripodes
S
coop came into our lives in October 2005, a beautiful black Tennessee Walker with a white blaze and three white socks. He
was gentle, very smart and as playful as a boy can be. About a year later, we acquired his brother Charger. Tey instantly bonded and we promised them they would be together for the rest of their lives.
On the night of June 21, 2010, my husband and I were awakened by a phone call from my daughter. Te news was bad. Charger was dead and Scoop was not doing well. Tey had been attacked by Africanized Bees.
Te owner of the ranch told me that the horses were attacked a few hours earlier and the fire department, the on-call vet and several people on the ranch were trying to save them. Veterinarian Dr. Wayne McNeil told me Charger died a few hours earlier and he was trying to save Scoop.
Scoop and Charger had been stung by thousands of Africanized bees, and the massive poison in their systems could not be overcome. Scoop died just hours after Charger.
16 |
www.holistichorse.com
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS Earlier that evening, one of the ranch aides was walking by the stalls at feeding time and he saw Charger on the ground. After contacting the ranch owner, who immediately called the fire department and the vet, the ranch hand discovered that both horses were covered in bees. When he shook the stall to try to scare the bees, the bees attacked him. He ran into an adjacent building and tried to shake them off. A boarder and her 10-year-old son ran over to investigate and were also attacked. Tey ran into the same building. All three were stung on the face and arms but thankfully are going to be OK.
W
hen the firemen arrived, they were astounded by what they saw. Tey
had never seen so many bees. Tey suited up and taped their gloves and boots for added protection. Tey gently sprayed the horses with water in an attempt to chase the bees away. Once they removed as many bees as they could, they opened Scoop’s stall to let him flee. He would not leave his brother. After much urging, he left the stall and ran to the other side of the property. As he was running and rolling, Dr. McNeil, the vet, arrived. He caught Scoop and gave him injections for pain and antihistamines,
and did the same for Charger. But it was impossible to save them. Tey had too much poison in their systems.
Te next morning I contacted Debra Saum in San Diego, a dear friend and wonderful animal communicator who has known us and spoken with “the boys” many times. I needed her to help me try to understand what happened.
T
he first thing Debra asked me was if the horses were distanced from the
herd at the ranch. I told her yes, they had been moved that morning into two new stalls that had been built for them under the shade of a tree. She told me that was OK with them; they were happy being together.
SCOOP AND CHARGER “TELL” THEIR STORY Trough Debra, we learned the horses were playing that night and their energy disturbed the bees. Te bees were ready to park, not yet an established hive. Normally when bees park they are not agitated, but with the energy the horses created, they sensed a threat to their queen so they attacked. Charger was attacked first, then Scoop. Scoop had to make a
Holistic Horse™ • October/November 2010 • Vol.16, Issue 69
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48