Crocworld Conservation Centre welcomes two marabou storks

VISITORS to Crocworld Conservation Centre will now be able to make the acquaintance of Stallone and Norris, the male marabou storks recently donated to the park by the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary in Pietermaritzburg.

Now happily settling in to their forever home at the Centre, the birds have become a firm favourite with guests and staff alike – perhaps because of their unique appearance.

Like all marabou storks, Stallone and Norris have huge beaks, long, cloak-like wings and fragile-looking legs.

Telling them apart is easy, thanks to Stallone’s naturally deformed beak. Both birds have a pendulous pink sac hanging from their neck that’s meant to make them more attractive to the ladies.

With a thin frizz of white hair covering their bald heads, Stallone and Norris are the poster boys for a bad hair day  and yet, despite their odd looks (or perhaps because of them), they are both fascinating and endearing.

Marabou storks are amongst the heaviest of all flying birds, weighing in at a staggering nine kilograms and standing approximately 1.5 metres tall. They have the second longest wingspan of any land bird after the Andean condor, and are only able to take off at all because they have hollow legs and toes that make them slightly lighter.

Like many of the animals that call Crocworld Conservation Centre home, marabou storks are victim of unfairly bad publicity. Often referred to as the ‘undertaker bird’, they perform a similar role to vultures, primarily feeding off carrion in the wild.

And yet, despite their unsavoury eating habits, marabou storks play a vital role in the African ecosystem, providing an efficient clean-up service and ridding the plains of rotting carcasses.

Those who come to see Stallone and Norris will soon see these incredible birds in a kinder light – birds whose commendable attributes include mating for life, and working together to care for their offspring.

Crocworld Conservation Centre’s General Manager Martin Rodrigues is already fond of the strange pair, saying ‘We are very excited to have Stallone and Norris as part of our collection, and we are sure that they will be very happy with us. We urge our visitors to come and meet our two newest additions for themselves’.

Stallone and Norris are well suited to the Centre, which provides a home for several other charismatic creatures. Amongst them is Isis, an African fish eagle who has lived at the park since 1987, when a broken wing made it impossible for her to return to the wild; and Henry, who at 114 is the oldest known Nile crocodile in captivity.

Bird enthusiasts will be amazed by the Centre’s walk-through aviaries, which house more than 35 species – including the blue crane, the greater flamingo and the pink-backed pelican.

The park’s reptile exhibits include three species of crocodile, one species of alligator, and a variety of venomous and non-venomous snakes.

With tickets priced at just R65 per person (with a concessional price of R40 for children and R45 for pensioners), Crocworld Conservation Centre offers a fun-filled day out that is as affordable as it is entertaining.

After meeting Stallone and Norris, stay for crocodile feeding time at 11am or 3pm Tuesday to Sunday or learn more about the park’s snakes at the snake demonstration that takes place at 11.30am every Saturday and Sunday.

When hunger strikes, the Centre’s onsite restaurant Le Rendez-Vous is the perfect place to stop for lunch, offering a delicious menu and spectacular sea views.

PHOTOS BY MIA MORISON