POLOKWANE – Paramedics are known to save lives, and in most cases this will refer to human lives.
However, sometimes these heroes, who do not wear capes, get called in to assist in other situations.
Yesterday afternoon (February 21), ER24 Limpopo branch manager Brian Allchin was called to assist with the transport of an injured owl.
According to a statement by the emergency medical services provider, the owl was injured after it was attacked by a dog.
“Allchin was happy to assist in this special rescue. He was able to transport the owl to Haenertsburg where the ‘patient’ was handed over to advanced life support paramedic Estiaan Cronje,” the statement reads.
Allchin explained to Review that he was already scheduled to meet Cronje, who is a paramedic in the Tzaneen area, for a work meeting. “He informed me about the request to assist in transporting the owl. We try to assist the community in any way possible and I therefore transported the owl from Polokwane to Haenertsburg in a box, where it was handed over to Cronje,” he added.
Cronje was able to transport the owl to Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre, a non-profit rehabilitation centre located in Tzaneen, for treatment.
Review contacted Emma de Jager, founder and co-owner of the centre, who confirmed the owl was still at the centre. “We were contacted by a Polokwane resident who asked us if we were able to assist, and in turn we requested assistance from someone in the area. Cronje brought the owl, that was fortunate not to sustain any broken bones during the attack, to the centre,” she said.
De Jager added that the owl is still in shock and will undergo about a week of rehabilitation before it is released. She said animals admitted to the centre are usually released into the same habitat where they were found. “However, as the area is an urban area, the owl will be released elsewhere.”
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