TRAVELLERS WORLDWIDE IS A LEADING INTERNATIONAL PROVIDER OF
VOLUNTARY PLACEMENTS AND WORK EXPERIENCE INTERNSHIPS ABROAD

Read the on going stories from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in KwaZulu-Natal. It is a wildlife hospital that cares for injured and orphaned wild animals and birds, and is the only  Rehabilitation Centre of its kind in the Province.

Bugsy, the Bushbaby
Undoubtedly one of the cutest admissions here at the centre this Spring, Bugsy, the baby Bushbaby arrived at the Centre in early November having been found in a residential garden in Empangeni. Crying piteously for his mother who was nowhere to be found, Bugsy was bundled up and brought down to the Centre where Mabel Watts, the Centre’s Primate Manager, was anxiously awaiting his arrival.

As Africa’s smallest primates, Bushbabies are still fairly common though infamously difficult to spot in the wild due to their nocturnal habits. True to his species, Bugsy, who is a Thick-tailed Bushbaby, spends most of his day sleeping in between regular bottle-feeds. Bugsy will remain at the Centre for the next few months following which he will be released back into the wild.

A Second Chance at Life
The joy of a new Spring arrival at the Rehabilitation Centre soon turned to sorrow in late September as Jozi, one of our much loved Chacma Baboons gave birth to her first baby. The tiny bundle of dark brown fur was named Chance and clung firmly to his mother who initially appeared to be in good health and coping well in the hours following her baby’s delivery. A mere 48 hours later and it was clear that all was not well with Jozi who was not eating and losing her strength at a rapid rate. The team worked desperately to coax Jozi, who was still clinging onto Chance, into the holding area of the baboon enclosure so the Centre’s Vet could sedate and examine her. Sadly, while the team eventually managed to coax her into the safety of the holding area, the act of getting herself there proved too much for Jozi and she passed away shortly after.

An autopsy later revealed that Jozi died of a heart attack as a result of a pre-existing heart condition and the additional stress brought on by giving birth. Little Chance, who was severely dehydrated and weighing only 900 grams at the time, was immediately given fluids and handed over to the Centre’s Primate Manager, Mabel Watts who was to become his surrogate mom.

Nine weeks on and little Chance is doing incredibly well under Mabel’s devoted care and attention. The team is hopeful that in the months to come, young Chance will play a significant role in helping us to successfully merge our two existing baboon troops and so aid in their successful return to the wild.

Savannah’s Leap to Freedom
Thursday, the 18th October was a day of intense excitement for the Centre team as Savannah, the Serval began her much anticipated journey to freedom. Following 6 months of intensive hand-rearing at the Centre, Savannah was transported to a pre-release boma in the middle of Phinda Private Game Reserve. The plan was to release Savannah into the general reserve 10 days later, however 7 days in, the team got a call from the reserve to say there was no need as the previous night, Savannah had miraculously leapt over the boma fence, thus freeing herself! Thankfully, Savannah was having no problems catching her prey in the boma and the team is very hopeful that this time next year, Savannah will be spotted with her first litter of kittens.

Wendy, the Willful Warthog
A firm contender for “Personality of Year”, Wendy the baby Warthog has unashamedly wormed her way into our staffs’ hearts over the past few weeks thanks to her willful and playful nature. Arriving at the Centre in early November after she was found abandoned by rangers in Tala Private Game Reserve, Wendy was in a rather sorry state due to dehydration and a rather nasty eye infection. But thanks to the care and devotion of Estie Allan, the Centre’s Clinic Manager and her new surrogate mom, Wendy is now fit as a fiddle and growing at a rapid rate. All going well, Wendy will be released in a few months time once she is fully weaned and ready to fend for herself.

Dassie Fever!
The team at the Centre have certainly had their hands full over the past few weeks with no less than eleven baby Dassies (or Rock Hyrax as they are now known) making their way to the centre. Each baby has its own story as to how it ended up at the Centre, but the most bizarre and concerning are the three that were recently found stashed in a bin in the Ladies bathrooms of a Durban-based office block. Sadly, our team believes these little ones were destined for the local muthi market, as Dassies are increasingly targeted by traditional healers for their body parts.

Thankfully, these feisty youngsters are now in the safe hands of the Centre’s Animal Welfare Assistant, Sue-Ann Shutte who will be hand-rearing them over the next few months. As is the case of all our animals here at the Centre, the team will work with its numerous partners to identify a suitable release site where the Dassies will be safe from predators (namely man!) and can live out the rest of their natural lives in peace.

Back to Nature
Spring is not only baby season here at the Centre, it is also release season! Food and water are most plentiful during our Spring and Summer months, so it stands to reason that the team at the Centre tries to plan as many releases as possible at this time of the year, thus ensuring our animals have the best chance of survival back in the wild.

We are pleased to report that in October and November alone, the Centre returned over 220 animals to their rightful place in the wild. The animals were released at numerous pre-identified sites across the province. Animals released by the team included our two Reed Buck, Andy and Clyde who were set free at Intibane Private Game Lodge in Ulundi and nine Banded Mongoose who have happily made Tala Private Game Reserve in Camperdown their new home.