11 crocodiles get a new lease on life
The Wild and Free Rehabilitation Centre in Hectorspruit collaborated with the MTPA and the Aspinall Foundation to release 11 crocodiles in new and safe environments on April 7.
Five of the crocodiles were let loose in a game reserve on the Strydomblok Road and the other six in Lionspruit in Marloth Park. According to Chris Hobkirk of the MTPA, eight of the crocodiles were caught in the Barberton area over the course of a few months. The farmers reported these wild animals roaming on their land, and instead of taking matters into their own hands, reported them to the MTPA.
“Many farmers would not hesitate to use their guns to solve their problems, so we are grateful to those who reached out to us to give these crocodiles a chance,” said Hobkirk. Dereck Milburn of the Aspinall Foundation organised three crocodiles to be transported from Seaview Predator Park in Gqeberha after a tragic incident in which a park employee was killed by a Siberian tiger in front of the other staff on June 16 last year. Soon after the attack, the park faced financial problems and could not take care of all the animals.
ALSO READ: Nkomazi mayor’s days numbered
“We evacuated more than 30 animals from the park as problems started, but had to wait for a specific permit and had to build cages from scratch to transport the crocodiles,” said Milburn. “The rescue operation was a go, and we did our veterinary checks for any type of diseases before we left Gqeberha for Mbombela with the crocodiles on March 19.”
After travelling straight through, more than 1 300 kilometres with the animals, these three crocodiles were kept with the other eight from Mbombela in a man-made holding facility for three weeks under the supervision of the MTPA. “It was clear when the three crocodiles from Seaview Predator Park were with the others, that they were underdeveloped and had gone through everything but growth.
Luckily, they were the last animals to be removed from the park,” said Milburn. The volunteers of MTPA and Wild and Free worked hard with the foundation to achieve the safe release of the crocodiles. “It was an amazing day once again working with the MTPA and the Aspinall Foundation, who helped us a lot in previous wild animal releases. This group project will always be one for the books,” said the director of Wild and Free, Deidré Joubert.
ALSO READ: Man arrested for impersonating cop
