Fourways Main Reef Rotary Club supports flamingo chick rescue at Vulpro
FOURWAYS – The Fourways Main Reef Rotary Club has joined in national efforts to care for hundreds of lesser flamingo chicks which had been abandoned
The Fourways Main Reef Rotary Club has joined the effort to save hundreds of abandoned flamingo chicks who were rescued from the Kamfers Dam in Kimberley at the end of January.
The recent drought in the area caused the water source to dry up, where a colony of lesser flamingos usually breed, causing the adult flamingos to leave the area and abandon hundreds of their chicks to an uncertain fate. Public support for the rescue of these birds has been immense including support from the local rotary club.
“The Fourways Main Reef Rotary club never ceases to amaze me in their efforts to support calls for help across a variety of human disasters and wildlife conservation rescues,” said Ingrid Sellschop, the youth exchange officer for the club.
“On Thursday [31 January], I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Vulpro, a Vulture and Raptor Rehabilitation centre out at Hartbeespoort Dam. The centre is organised and run by Kerri Wolter, a world-recognised conservationist.”
The centre had just received a batch of 40 flamingo chicks from Kimberly and was in dire need of resources such as Ringer’s lactate [used for hydration], blankets, baby cereal, hot water bottles and helping hands.
“Through the support of our rotary club and our network of friends, our committee mobilised resources within 48 hours. I would like to thank our committee, Steve Margo, Beate Shulte-Brader, Cynthia Lewis, Jackie de Kock, our club president and my friends, Katja Bier, a vet, who organised Ringer’s lactate for me; Zita Baumeister and Jennette Dace who helped me to transport the supplies to Vulpro on the Saturday [2 February] afternoon, and who did some much needed hands-on feeding and hydrating of the flamingo chicks.”
Sellschop added that she thought Vulpro was doing an incredible job with around the clock feeding and a support programme for the chicks.
“I would also like to thank Kerri Wolter from Vulpro whose dedication to conservation causes is invaluable. Once again, Rotary is at the fore of helping out where it can.”
After dropping off the donations, Sellschop spent about two hours interacting with the flamingos. She helped feed them and learned about how the birds are kept in colour-coded flowerpots, which are inside an incubator, to keep track of their feeding schedules.
Details: The Fourways Main Reef Rotary Club Facebook page.
