As a one-of -a-kind, multi-species facility, the Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and Training Centre will treat, rescue, or mitigate, numerous wildlife cases a day. Last Monday was no exception.
The clinic is opened at 7 am by Shannon Fletcher, our clinic nurse, who quickly feeds the youngest and most critical patients first. A little orphaned dikkop gulps down the super worms offered, reminding us that it is time to place another order for live insects. Volunteers arrive and prepare meals for the recovering patients, while medication, wound treatment and examinations are carried out by Michelle Watson, the Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator and facility manager.
The phone never stops. On this day the calls were about everything from baby birds found out of their nests to a snake caught in a car engine. New patients were admitted, including the tiniest baby mouse. It was found without its mom and was desperately cold and weak.
Mid-afternoon I got a call about a grounded vulture 30 km outside of Caledon, alongside a busy road. Suspecting injury, I drove for an hour to the location where I met up with a Cape Nature ranger. The vulture appeared to be young and slightly underweight but was able to fly off when approached. Plans were made with a local farmer to provide the vulture with some meat and to give us feedback the next day if it was still there. Lack of available food is a common reason why these highly endangered birds are on the decline.
The Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and training centre is in desperate need of funds to continue this work. Food, medication, petrol and salaries are all needed to be able to care for injured and compromised wildlife. Please go to www.kogelbergbiosphere.or.za where a new donation button allows you to make a monthly donation to help with the running costs of the centre. Every rand helps.
Volunteers can call Michelle to schedule an orientation training day, and people wanting to get more involved can attend a 2-day workshop on the 15 and 16 February. Funds raised from this course go towards keeping the facility running.
Michelle Watson
073 314 0674