ON 30 September, I helped a couple guide a pair of wild geese with their nine baby chicks into my neighbour’s garden.
They had called CROW. Later on I saw the parents on the roof.
A while later they were flying from roof top to roof top squawking for their babies.
I was advised by my neighbour that CROW came and took the babies.
They caught them in the swimming pool where they were enjoying themselves. CROW could not catch the babies.
Apparently CROW did the same thing two years prior.
I called CROW and told them how dissatisfied I was with their actions.
They advised that the babies could be in danger.
CROW is supposed to rehabilitate animals not create orphans and upset the parents.
I am sure the parents would have looked after the babies as the property is secure and free from animals. Before it got shocked, the parents were walking around the host looking for their babies.
I have no intention of supporting CROW again because of their selfish actions.
CROW is a wildlife hospital that cares for the injured and orphaned wild animals and birds in KwaZulu-Natal. Their mission statement is: CROW is committed to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of orphaned and injured wildlife.
Their mission statement contradicts what their actions as they created orphans by removing the babies from their parents. What gives them this right?
Rob Irwin
Pinetown
CROW’s response:
ROB is 100 percent correct in that our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release all injured, orphaned and displaced wildlife throughout the KZN province.
On 30 September, the CROW team received a call from a concerned member of the public who had spotted nine goslings in the road and were concerned for their safety. The member of public kindly assisted by herding the goslings into a local resident’s garden, where they would be safe until we arrived. Upon arrival, our clinic manager and one of our volunteers spent around two hours trying to catch the mom, dad and babies due to there not being a safe area for them, while there was a pool in the yard where the gosling were contained, they couldn’t stay there and we couldn’t turf them out into the street. In these cases, our team gives their best efforts to catch mom, dad and babies so that they can be relocated to a safer area where they can live out their lives naturally.
Sadly in this case, our team was only able to catch the mom and goslings but not the dad who flew to a nearby roof and refused to budge. We therefore had no choice but release mom (geese pair for life and should not be separated) and take the goslings to our centre. The goslings were merged with a mom, dad and their goslings here at the centre that were under observation. The goslings, with their new found family have been since released and are doing well. We have been in touch with Rob to explain the process and reasoning behind our actions. He understands and has even offered to assist with goslings in the future if needed as he has a pond at his home.
To all those reading this, if you have a garden which is suitable for geese and they nest there, please be patient during the breeding season and let the babies fledge naturally. Once the youngsters are flight-ready, they move off and establish their own territory.
CROW gets inundated with calls regarding geese where they are not in danger, but rather an annoyance due to the noisy habits. We have limited space at our centre and need the public’s help to rather find ways to peacefully coexist with the wildlife that surrounds and only call when they are in direct danger or injured.
Paul Hoyte (CROW director)
Yellowwood Park
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Highway Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts
