Ref : 10/139    Admission Date : 13/08/2010

Now this is an unusual visitor to Plettenberg Bay.  This Ludwigs Bustard is normally found in the Karoo, and certainly not here in Plett. Found about 1km from the shoreline in a garden on Beachy Head, this lucky bustard did not sustain any serious injuries which means that we can return him to the wild where he belongs. (and it gives us a chance to take a day or two off so we can travel to the Karoo to put him back in the wild.

Ref No 10/129  Admission Date : 22/07/2010

This bird used to be called a Dikkop, and now he is known as a Thick Knee.  This is a nocturnal bird, as you can see from his large eyes.  This bird was found in Goose Valley,  Plettenberg Bay with a broken wing.  We could not set his wing because the injury was old, but we also found out that he had a lot of tapeworm, and so he was treated for this as well.  Thick Knees are insectivorous, and so his diet includes protein and Meelworm.

Ref : 10/137   Admission Date : 07/08/2010

This White Stork is a migratory species that visits South Africa each year to feast on the rich and diverse insect life in our rural areas.  These storks are frequently chased and harrassed by domestic animals such as dogs, and this is not the first victim we have received at our rehabilitation centre.

The Stork arrived with serious head injuries, and a dislocated wing. We are happy to report that he has made a significant recovery in our care, however, we sit with a big problem.  His wing injury is serious enough to prevent him from making the long journey home this season.  We have decided to clip his wings which will prevent him from flying, and give him time to recover, and then next season, he will be free to fly home.

Ref : 10/125  Admission Date : 13/07/2010

Lady Loerie came from Knysna.  Her legs were completely lame.  We have previously treated Knysna Loeries for a lack of calcium, but this little Loerie has not responded to the treatment.  She has feeling in the legs, but cannot hold her weight on them.  Sadly the window for recover has past, and Lady Loerie cannot have a reasonable quality of life being strung up in a sling, and therefore we have to do the kindest thing for her.

Admission : August 2010

We have received several Baby Blues - juvenile penguins from Buffalo Bay to Plett.  These babies have been stabilised at Tenikwa and when our vet gives the nod, will be transferred to SAMREC for further rehabilitation and release.  Babesia has been detected in one of the penguins, who hasn't responded well to his stabilisation phase. All penguins have been found to have significant worm loading.  At the moment, we have 6 juvenile penguins in rehabilitation.

Ref : 10/142.  Admission Date : 20/08/2010

This Grey Heron was found in a bog at Brenton on Lake.  A concerned citizen called us to report the injured heron.  Sanparks who are responsible for the area were called to assist, but the Heron was inaccessible in the centre of the bog.  He disappeared for a few days, and when he was spotted again, we went out to rescue him. This proved more difficult than we imagined!  Even equipped with waders, the bog was very deep, and we quickly became entangled in the reeds.  Eventually using "froggie style" to displace our weight across the reeds we were able to get to the heron and recover him. His wing was beyond repair although not broken.  The injury looked like one caused by a powerline. The Heron was brought to the centre, rehydrated and we attempted to stabilise him before attending to his severe injuries.  The wing was amputated to prevent further decay and infection to the bone setting in.   Unfortunately, 2 days late, the Heron died.  His post mortem revealed that bone infection had already set in beyond where it was reasonable to amputate the wing. The bird was not strong enough to withstand a more severe amputation, but we were working against time with this case, because of the severity of the injury, we couldn't wait for him to become stronger.  Unfortunately, we were working against the odds with this bird, and it was not to be.

On 4th July we received a young female Vervet Monkey from Cape Nature.  She had been knocked over on the road, and sadly, her baby who was with her at the time, was dead on arrival. She is currently being treated in our hospital for concussion.  She is trying to eat some soft fruit.

Update 5th Aug: Although her sight and hearing had recovered, the vervet suffered from vertigo and became extremely anxious around other monkeys.  Since she had no chance of making a full recovery for release, and because her quality of life in captivity would have been compromised by the anxiety and vulnerability she felt, a decision was taken to euthanase her out of kindness. These decisions are not taken lightly, but are in the best interests of the animal.

An unusual visitor to our shores, this White Chinned Petrel was completely exhausted when it reached land.  Rescued off Robberg Peninsular from the relentless waves, the petrel is now starting to put on weight and recover from his ordeal.  He is gaining approx 40g weight per day, but is still underweight.

Update 4th August : The White Chinned Petrel was transferred to SAMREC for further evaluation since it did not respond adequately to our treatment. It subsequently died and a post-mortem revealed that it had 11 pieces of plastic bag in its stomach.

Using our oceans as a garbage dump causes the death and suffering of millions of sea animals and birds each year.

Hobbs is an young adult male caracal who has been in rehabilitation for some time now.  Rescued and raised by a vet,  Hobbs needs to be released on a reserve where he doesn't come into contact with humans.  We are looking at all possibilities for his release.

Ref 10/100.  Mathewus is a young male caracal cub that we have received for rehabilitation.  Mathewus was rescued and raised by a family in Port Elizabeth.  At a few weeks of age, he suddenly became paralysed and was rushed to the vet.  He made a slow recovery, and when he was able to walk, the vet recommended that he come to Tenikwa.

Mathewus suffers from epilepsy and his mobility is impaired.  His prognosis for release is not good, but we are giving him every chance to grow out of his disabilities before we re-assess him for release.

Snorkey, the little bushpig, was rescued from Jansenville with a broken leg. He was taken to a vet and splinted and then brought  to Tenikwa to be rehabilitated. He has improved well and is walking and running now, putting full weight on his leg.

Unfortunately, Snorkey was already habituated before coming to Tenikwa, and so it is impossible to release him safely into the wild.  He needs to go to a game reserve where he can be protected against illicit hunting and poaching.  Amakhala Game Reserve has accepted Snorkey for release, and we are in the process of arranging the paperwork at the moment, and soon Snorkey will again be out in the veld, doing what bushpigs do best.

And so on 30th July 2010, we loaded Snorkey into our vehicle, and he started on the final leg of his journey back to the wild.  At Amakhala, Dr William Fowlds was waiting for us, and we drove to the boma where he took this great leap out the vehicle .  Now begins his final preparation.  At Amakhala, he is going to have to get used to natural food and he will obviously have to learn to fend for himself once he is released.  We felt a little sad leaving him behind, but consoled by the fact that, for Snorky, he's been given a second chance at living a normal bushpigs life in the wild where he belongs.

Papillon is a young caracal that comes from the Swellendam area. An interesting story, Papillon was found in the middle of a field.  Obviously his mother had hidden him in the field when she went out to hunt.  The farmer who was ploughing the field came across him, and realised things were too disturbed to  leave him there exposed.  He got hold of Tenikwa, and temporary care was arranged at Butterfly World Klapmuts (hence his name Papillon).

Papillon has grown into a fine young caraca, feisty and shy of humans.  He is ideal to release, and we are currently looking for a game reserve in the Western Cape for him for the next step.  It may be possible to release him with the other two young caracal we have in rehab at the moment, as he shares their enclosure.

Update as at 22 August 2010

Papillon is sharing a rehabilitation enclosure with other caracals that are being prepared for release.

4th August : We have 4 penguins in rehabilitation at the moment.  Two came in as victims of an oilspill, and we have two other baby blues who beached at Plettenberg Bay and Sedgefield.  All the penguins have responded well to our care, and once stable will be transferred for further rehabilitation and release back to our oceans where they belong. In the picture, Senior Animal Keeper Tracey and Eve Joubert wash the oil off one of the penguins received.

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Knysna Loeries

We have two Knysna Loeries in rehabilitation at the moment.  The one was found at a guest house and was completely paralysed.  She has made remarkable recovery and is now ready for release.  The other loerie came in about 4 weeks ago. It flew into an office and lost its tail feathers whilst being caught.  The tail feathers have now grown out sufficiently for it to fly, and so the two loeries will be released together where the second one came from, later in the week.

Update 4th August : The two Loeries have been released at Ingwe where they have both been sighted subsequently.

Brown Nose and Pink Nose are two young Caracals currently in rehabilitation.

Update:   These two have grown well and they are not habituated at all, which is very good news for them in terms of their options for release.  We are currently looking for a game reserve suitable for their next stage of rehabilitation - it's a long journey back to the wild. If anyone knows of a suitable release site or game reserve in Western Cape please contact us.

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Zippo and Shu-Shu are two young Caracals currently in rehabilitation.  Zippo comes from the Grahamstown area, and Shu-shu comes from Prieska.  They have now been transferred to Camdeboo Game Reserve for rehabilitation and release. They have access to the greater part of the Reserve but still need some supplementary feeding as necessary.