Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife appeals to the public for support
CROW is Durban’s only registered and fully permitted wildlife rehabilitation centre providing indigenous wildlife with a second chance at a free, safe and sustainable life in the wild.
WORLD Animal Day is an international day of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated annually on October 4, the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. The day serves as a rallying point for passionate animal advocates from across the globe who come together to celebrate and contribute to the cause of animal protection and conservation in their unique ways.
With 355 animals currently in their sanctuary, and with an impressive 164 998 animals rescued over their 43 years in existence, providing a life-giving service to the country’s wildlife, the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) is calling on South Africans to support the astonishing work they do.
“The theme for World Animal Day 2023 is ‘Great or Small, Love Them All’,” explains Clint Halkett-Siddall, operations director of CROW. “This is exactly what we do – we take in all manner of wildlife that have been injured, displaced, or abandoned, nurse them back to health, rehabilitate them and release them back into their natural habitats. We love them all!”
“Our challenge is now to galvanise some serious financial support to enable us to continue to do this important work,” said Halkett-Siddall.
Also read: Get involved in the Caxton Big Draw Competition
CROW was adversely affected by Covid, which resulted in the loss of two years of international volunteer income – which contributed to a sizeable portion of their running costs. This, together with the repercussions of the floods and riots, and increased overheads, especially on animal feed and fuel, means that the centre has almost depleted its financial reserves.
“We are appealing for a renewed burst of financial support from individuals and companies, to enable us to keep our doors open and help the 3 000 to 4 000 indigenous wild animals that we care for each year. Without this support, these animals will be left without assistance, with no chance of being nursed back to health and released back into the wild,” says Halkett-Siddall.
CROW is Durban’s only registered and fully permitted wildlife rehabilitation centre providing indigenous wildlife with a second chance at a free, safe and sustainable life in the wild. They also work with threatened or protected species (TOPS), terrestrial and marine species.
The Centre works with all indigenous mammal species, reptile species and bird species. Some of the animals currently on property include TOPs Nile crocodile, blue duiker, blesbok, grey duiker, genet, scrub hare, rock hyrax, banded mongoose, water mongoose, spotted eagle owl, wood owl, spurwing goose, Egyptian goose, egret, terrapin, garden variety birds, bushbaby, vervet monkeys, leopard tortoise, eastern hinge tortoise, labots tortoise and specs tortoise.
“Due to financial constraints, we have had to cease after-hours services, and if funding does not improve, we will have to put our rescues and collections on hold,” he explains. ‘We now also have to limit the intake of Egyptian Geese and vervet monkeys which are robust urban dwellers but very expensive to feed.”
CROW gets no government funding and relies solely on public support. “We are appealing to people who care about wildlife and our environment to assist us by donating to Hope for Our Wildlife – CROW’s Emergency Appeal. Any donation in any form is most welcome to keep our doors open to animals in need.”
Donations can be made from the CROW website or using one of the many options of support listed there: https://crowkzn.co.za/donate/
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
