Meryl Harrison in
Zimbabwe
link
"INNOCENT VICTIMS"
-
Rescuing the stranded animals of Zimbabwe's farm
invasions
Meryl
Harrison's extraordinary story
by
Catherine Buckle
Published by: Merlin
Unwin Books, U.K.
Innocent Victims is the story of how Meryl Harrison rescued
thousands of animals stranded on invaded farms during Zimbabwe's
land re-distribution. Meryl's mission was not about people or human
rights but about animals and their welfare and there was no room
for race, politics or prejudice.
Meryl, in her sixties and with a heart condition, always traveled
with one or two young SPCA Inspectors and together they faced mobs
of men who were often drugged or drunk and almost always armed with
weapons ranging from sticks and stones to guns, knives and whips.
Meryl drove thousands of kilometers to remote and abandoned farms;
she and her colleagues went into "no-go areas" and faced war
veterans, secret police, army and youth militia; they dismantled
road barricades and went to places which even the Police said were
dangerous and unsafe.
Meryl soon built up a reputation which preceded her - she never
took sides and had only come for the animals. Cows which had been
hamstrung and axed, donkeys and a race horse burned alive; dogs
shackled and abandoned - if there was even the remotest chance that
she could help them, treat them or rescue them, Meryl never said
no! There wasn't an animal too big, small, slippery or furry for
Meryl and she rescued cats, dogs and goldfish. She and her team
caught pigs, sheep, cows, goats and chickens. They saved horses and
ponies, duikers and sable antelope and intervened on behalf of
lions, hippos and ostriches.
In 2002 Meryl and her colleague Addmore received international
recognition for their extraordinary work and were jointly awarded
the BBC Special Award for Outstanding Work in Animal Welfare. Just
days later they were back at work on the dirt roads in remote areas
of Zimbabwe. Meryl saw at first hand the environmental impact of
Zimbabwe's land redistribution: poaching, de-forestation and
massive burning.
All of the stories in Innocent Victims are the original first hand
accounts taken from Meryl's personal diaries. Some of the rescues
are gruesome and heartbreaking but others tell of great courage,
ingenuity and joyous reunions. All tell of the extraordinary
dedication and deep passion shown by one woman for the lives of
many thousands of animals. Innocent Victims is the story of an
unsung and reluctant hero in Zimbabwe's darkest of times.
Meryl Harrison has won international recognition for her courageous
work and some of her awards include:
1. 2002 - RSPCA (UK) Overseas Gallantry Award
2. 2002 Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club (UK) Special Presentation
for Recognition of Work in Rescuing Animals in Distress
3. 2002 - BBC Special Award for Outstanding Work in Animal Welfare
(Together with Addmore Chinhembe)
4. 2003 - Rotary Foundation of Rotary International - Harare Club -
Paul Harris Fellow
5. 2003 - International Fund for Animal Welfare/Animal Talk -
Action Award
6. 2004 - St Anne's Diocesan College Old Girls Guild (South Africa)
- St Anne Award for Dedicated Service Above & Beyond the Call
of Duty
7. 2005 - The Zimbabwe Kennel Club - Lifetime Achievement
Award
8. 2006 - Rotary Foundation of Rotary International -Borrowdale
Brook Club - Paul Harris Fellow -
Book details:
"INNOCENT VICTIMS.
Rescuing the stranded animals of Zimbabwe's farm invasions.
Meryl Harrison's Extraordinary Story."
By Catherine Buckle.
Foreword by David Shepherd, O.B,E. , M.B.E.
Published by: Merlin Unwin Books, U.K.
Classification: True stories of heroism, endurance and
survival.
Available March 2009. Hardback. 352 pages. Black and white
photographs.
Author: Catherine Buckle
ISBN: 978 1 906122 07 2
Published: March 2009
Format: 234 x 156 mm
Binding: Hardback
No. of pages: 352
8 page b&w plate section
"Innocent Victims. rescuing the stranded animals of Zimbabwe's farm
invasions.
Meryl Harrison's Extraordinary story."
