Amanzimtoti’s bird lady ‘chirps’ wisdom about wildlife

THE ‘bird lady’ of Amanzimtoti, CROW’s depot helper Carlyn Hattingh, has been rescuing all forms of helpless, injured creatures and either sends them to CROW or nurses them back to health herself.

Since a little girl Carlyn’s had a soft spot for the weak and injured. Now she makes changes to many lives, feathery or furry.

“I rescue, nurse and release birds, but I give a lot of birds to CROW,” said Carlyn. “I’m simply volunteering for them and do rely on donations, as I don’t earn a salary for the work I do.”

She has been caring for birds most of her life and has also rescued puppies, monkeys, wild rats and rabbits.

Carlyn’s love for animals was evident since a young age. “Most of my life, my mom was a nurse and when she was younger, she would nurse all sorts of little animals and release them,” said Carlyn. “It was only in 2013 that I became a depot for CROW and my knowledge and connections just expanded from there.”

Most of the time people turn to her with their sick and injured pet birds as they don’t want to take them to the vet.

“I do give advice where I can, but I’m not a vet, so it’s important that they take their birds to an avian vet. I have helped a woman who couldn’t afford the vet by tending to her rabbit who was attacked.

I also have had someone bring me their pet rat with a broken back, which I took to the vet and paid for its euthanasation,” explained Carlyn.

She said most of her cases involve injured birds, either caused by untrained dogs or cats. The avid animal lover stresses the importance of our wildlife and she believes we simply cannot afford to allow our domesticated pets to threaten wildlife’s stability.

“I’ve been called to remove snakes, which I can only do dependent on time and distance from me. I have the public phone me about injured monkeys, mongeese and geese,” explained Carlyn. As far as domestic rescues go, Carlyn has rescued a chicken that was tied up with a plastic bag and put in someone’s boot.

“I have also rehabilitated a goose with an injured back for the SPCA. I did physio on him and he eventually was able to walk,” said Carlyn. “I’ve also intervened when an unwanted goose was given away on social media. I collected him and all three, two geese and a chicken, went to Flag Animal Farm.”

Carlyn trusts Flag Animal Farm and agrees with the life they offer their rescued animals on the farm.

“Animals aren’t just lumps of meat. They also feel pain, fear and anxiety and it’s something we need to be aware of,” said the rescuer.

While networking on social media, she encourages the community to sterilise their cats and dogs at a cheaper rate at Animal Anti Cruelty League in Hammarsdale, as it is vital to do so. She urges people to get wildlife to CROW and not cage them or pass them on to a friend.

“Often the public will pass on incorrect feeding advice on social media to a friend who’s found a bird and asks for help, even if they do not know much on the topic. This can end up costing the animal its life.

Many people try to hand-raise wild birds themselves. The poor creature is only handed to me when the animal’s health has deteriorated. By then it’s too late, as the body is weak and has begun to shut down. I also get many birds in which have been kept for a few days because the bird is ‘cute’ and they want to keep it. If a wild bird is kept in captivity it becomes highly stressed and depressed which is not fair.

I’d like to explain how dangerous breakfast cereal is to birds, no matter the flavour. It is dehydrated maize and is very genetically modified, often causing malnutrition and it clogs up the birds digestive system, leading to a painful death.

Many people have hand-reared birds on it, but most of the symptoms only show up years later from malnutrition which leads to heart, liver and even hormone issues,” explained Carlyn.

There’s so much one needs to know about rehabilitation and that’s why we need to turn to professional wildlife rehabilitators.

Carlyn urges pet owners to discourage their animals from chasing birds and more wildlife, as the death toll from such instances is very high. If the public turn to Caryln, CROW, Monkey Helpline, SPCAs or reptile removal, they ought to consider giving a donation, as there’s only a few of them and they battle to keep providing their services.

Do not cage wild animals – it’s cruel and not fair. I believe that ‘the best cage is an empty one’. Call CROW on 031-462-1127. The Yellowwood Park-based animal rehabilitation centre is open 7am to 4pm and the after hour clinic number is 083-212-5281 between 4pm and 8pm.

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