Above: little clawless otter

Above: Fledgling olive thrush

I’ve been working for Crag’s View wild care centre for almost a month now and what an exiting time so far!  For the first few days it felt like I was thrown in the deep end with no chances of survival and living my dream as wild life rehabilitator…  But Ina helped me every step of the way and started teaching me the will and the ways of the rehab and in a short time I’ve learned so much more about animals.  Taking care of animals isn’t an easy job and knowing that their survival depends on you doesn’t make it easier.  But the satisfaction of making an animal stronger and seeing the results on a daily base makes this job very rewarding! A month and a half ago a two month old cape clawless otter came to the rehab, it was found in a car park in the Ramsgate area.  On admission it was obvious that the otters’ hind legs wasn’t functioning properly which could be the reason why he got left behind.  In one week the otter started showing signs that his hind legs are improving, two weeks after admission the otters hind legs improved so much that it’s hard to see any limping.  Not only was the limping gone but he picked up a full kilogram!  As each day passed Ina gave me more and more responsibilities and animals to look after.  One of the many animals I’m looking after is a baby mongoose.  What makes it so exiting is the fact that I don’t even know what type of mongoose it is!  Its fur looks like a combination of a large grey and a slender mongoose but could it be a banded mongoose?  Only time will tell!  A week ago two baby birds were brought in, they were found close to a banana tree.  With, not even, 20% of feathers I needed expert advice from Ina to identify them.  She told me it is a type of thrush and it would take a week to know for certain what type of thrush.  We still don’t know for certain what type of thrush it is but the chances are good that they are olive thrushes.  Yes, it is now clear they are olive thrushes!

Above: An adult cape gannet

An adult Cape Gannet was brought to us a week ago, its feathers where in a very bad condition.  One thing Ina taught me even before we took him out of the holding box is that they are very dangerous and you need to wear gloves when handling them.  Not knowing how a Cape Gannet even looks I already had a lot of respect for this bird!  She opened the box and my breath got taken away by the beauty of this bird even though I wasn’t in a good condition.  Ina then thought me how to handle him without putting to much stress on him and also walk away with all my fingers!  After allocating him to his new cage it was feeding time, he was so hungry that he ate a fish from the ground (which they will only do out of desperation).  After a few days we decided to take him to the sea to examine his condition but Ina could see that he wasn’t strong enough to dive under the waves and fly away.  Not all of our cases have good endings and this beautiful Cape Gannet unfortunately falls under this category, luckily it saw and felt the sea for the last time.

Left: A baby banded mongoose which was rescued from a rubbish bin at the Frey's Butchery in Port Shepstone.  The little mongoose is doing very well and loves his food!

I would like to thank every one which helped and supported the Wild Care Centre in the last 8 years while I was working with the wild creatures of the Lower South Coast.  I'm on my way to do a new project from the beginning of June.

Thank you once again, Ina de Koker

Other & special thanks:

I would like to give a special thanks to Mike and Marjike Long from Dornview, Berkshire, United Kingdom for helping and contributing to obtaining the premises from which the rehabilitation centre operates.  They helped to make a dream come true and for Crag's View Wild Care Centre to be active involved in assisting our indigenous wildlife on the lower south coast of KZN, South Africa. 

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In memory of Nevill Lyte

I met a very special gentleman end of 2007, Nevill Lyte.  Him and his wife, Linda came to see me at CVWCC with a special request.  They wanted to "adopt" an animal in memory of "Chiswi" a pet (dog) which was naturally very close to their harts.  I will always remember the expression of passion and love in Nevill's voice when he spoke about Chiswi.... In memory of Nevill, Linda adopted a very special female grey duiker called, Riemie. 

• First observe the bird or animal to make absolutely sure that it is definitely injured or orphaned.  Most of the time, the parents is foraging in the area.

• If orphaned, but not injured, put the chick back into its nest or in a container in the same vicinity.  Spend some time to see if the parents are coming back to feed the chick.  Most bird will not ignore the chick, even if it was handled by a human.

• Remember, the parents can teach their offspring all the survival and feeding habits, which we as caretakers cannot compete with!

• The best way to transport a bird or mammal, are to put them in a box (check if strong enough e.g. blue duiker adult might put his horns through it or manage to jump out if not well secured).  Make sure it fits in it comfortably with not to much excess space which can lend to more injuries.  A basket works well with birds and can be covered with a towel to keep the stress levels down.  Line the box or basket with newspaper or towels (please do not use cotton wool).

• When rescuing any bird or animal, please remember that stress is a very negative factor.  Put them in a quiet spot with as little as possible human contact while making transport or collection arrangements.

• If injured, as far as possible, take the bird or animal to the closest vet.  Once stabilized, we will collect it from the vet for further care.

• When a baby antelope seems very quiet or weak, please get it urgently to the vet.