A street security guard at the Wrenrose Court Centre has become known as ‘the bird whisperer’ after creating a close bond with pigeons.
Thulani Ngenelwa from Soweto has been working at the centre for more than five years and has created a relationship with shop owners and birds in the area.
He said he had been feeding the birds for three years now and he was a lucky and blessed man to have them surrounding him without flying away.
For Ngenelwa, these birds have now become part of his daily routine and refer to them as his small extended family. Also, they have a great positive impact on his life as he was always looked forward to being at work.
“Over the past years, I have seen restaurants here throw bread out, and one day I took some, crushed them into small pieces and threw the pieces on the side of the road and a few birds came and ate it,” Ngenelwe said.
He added that he only started feeding the birds constantly when the number of them grew from six to more than 50 and he feeds them four times a week.
“Being around birds makes me happier and not only am I feeding these pigeons but I also take some of the bread and feed more than a hundred of them back at home. This is truly my gift from God to feed them.”
