The Shamwari Animal Rehabilitation Centre has been quite busy over the festive season and beginning of the year. The new comers include two kudu calves, an ostrich chick and a few little shifts.
Two Kudu Calves
The two kudu calves, one male and one female, were both found abandoned on two separate farms. The male is about 6 weeks old and the female only 2 weeks. At first they wanted nothing to do with us, which is natural with all wild animals, but once they realised that we were only trying to help and give them some nice warm milk, they could not help but to grab the bottles and start suckling away. They are doing very well and will only be weaned off their milk when they are six months old. After that, they will be released together on our breeding centre.
The Little Ostrich Chick
The little ostrich chick was found stuck in a water trough; luckily it was a very hot day. He is about two months old and so far he is doing very well and is in a camp with our nyala and duiker. He is growing bigger and stronger each day and will be released when he is about five months old.
Juvenile Verreaux (Black) Eagle
Our juvenile Verreaux’s (Black) Eagle was found in an area about three hours drive from Shamwari. He was found at the bottom of a cliff on which his parents nest was built and it was assumed that he had fallen out of the nest. The adult eagles are completely black with a white “V” on their backs and we estimate our juvenile to be about three and a half years old as his black feathers are starting to come out on his cheeks, neck and wings. By the time he is five years old, he will be adult. He is doing very well and is a very vocal eagle, always making a big noise when guests come to view him. He will still stay with us for a couple of months before he is released.
Our nyala and duiker are both doing very well. The nyala is seven months old and the duiker 4 months. The nyala was found stuck in her mother’s birth canal and we had to step in and help otherwise the mother would have died as well. She is completely weaned off her milk and will be released soon. Our little duiker was found hiding amongst rocks during a recent control burn. She is still drinking milk and sees the nyala as her mother. She will only drink her milk when she is standing next to the nyala. She will be released when she is weaned from her milk over the next month.
At the Shamwari Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at Shamwari Game Reserve it is our aim to rehabilitate and return all animals back into the wild.
The Shamwari Rehabilitation Centre is amongst the best in Southern Africa and is fully registered to provide veterinary care to young, abandoned, orphaned or injured animals.
