A HAWK was rescued from the clutches of death by members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) on Tuesday afternoon. The bird was allegedly being stoned by six men, believed to be cattle herders. The incident, which occurred in Phoenix, has drawn condemnation from local residents for the men trying to kill the bird and praise for the security company who rescued it.
The black sparrowhawk is found mostly near riverine bush where it can perch under cover for long stretches. Almost all of its prey is other birds, mostly under 300 grams in weight.
According to Prem Balram, spokesman for RUSA, the bird is being handed to a bird-keeper in Roodekranz before it’s taken to the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW).
“The bird was rescued after reaction officers noticed six cattle herders trying to stone an animal near a railway line. When our officers finally reached the men, they were in the process of killing the bird. The cattle herders then threw the bird into a bush. Our reaction officers, Kenny Govender and Jerry John, found the bird stuck in dried shrubs. The bird’s wings and feet were injured and it was not able to fly.”
Paul Hoyte, spokesman for CROW, said the sparrowhawk was one of three rescued in the North Durban area last week.
“We rescued two juvenile black sparrowhawks in Verulam where someone was trying to sell them on the side of the road. Unfortunately we see cases like this all too often – people try to exploit our wildlife for profit, with no regard for the animals’ wellbeing or the fact that it is cruel and illegal. Fortunately for these two, they were not harmed during their ordeal. They will remain with us for the next three weeks while being hand reared by our clinic team in our specialised flight aviary.
“At this stage of their development their feathers are still growing and tender penned, after three weeks they will be hard penned and ready for flight. We will then hand the pair and the rescued sparrowhawk from Phoenix over to registered falconers from the Natal Falconry Club who will flight the raptors and use traditional falconry techniques to teach them how to hunt and find food for themselves. Once ready for release, they will be handed back to our clinic team who will then release them in a suitable location for their species,” he said.
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