The Wildlife in Crisis Centre has recently relocated to Plot 63, Vischkuil Agricultural Holdings.
After a rain storm and wind destroyed the centre in November 2016, they battled to get funds to rebuild the clinic.
“The relocation was done due to the fact that I had to run the clinic from the cottage where I used to live,” says Judy Davidson, who runs the centre.
She has been involved at the centre for the past 14 years.
She says the cottage wasn’t ideal and rather than rebuild there, they relocated the clinic to the current property only four plots away from the original rehab centre.
Davidson was given a piece of ground on the same premises as the Vischkuil/Endicott rural safety corps.
“The new clinic is almost fully functional, but there is still lots of work to do,” says Davidson.
Jackal, serval cats, caracal, meerkats, mongoose, scrub hares, hedgehogs and a huge variety of birds are currently under rehabilitation at the centre.
Davies says their veterinarian hospitals are being kept very busy with all the injured and distressed animals and birds.
“We need various things for the new rehabilitation centre in order to maintain it,” she says.
According to Davidson, the new centre has a lot of security measures in place including cameras which help a great deal to ensure the safety of security personnel as well.
They still need to build a 12m by 6m aviary which will form part of the injured falcons’ rehabilitation programme.
Three more aviaries for owls and raptors also still need to be built. Existing aviaries need to be repaired to make them suitable for the species they need to host.
Another building is also needed as a work area and kitchen to hold the fridges and washing machines, food and baskets.
“Still lots to do,” says Davidson.
Currently she has three helpers, namely Joseph Mosia, Vusi Ndaweni and Caroline Kawondera.
Joseph and Vusi get the food ready for all the animals by cutting up fruit, mixing the milk if needed and assist Judy in every way possible to make the lives of the animals and birds as comfortable as possible.
They also clean the aviaries and cages where the animals and birds are rehabilitated.
“Caroline who helps to clean the rehab centre and washes all the feeding bowls, is truly a wonderful asset to this centre,” says Judy.
