Care Douglasdale gives a baby hadeda a chance to life
DOUGLASDALE – Irene McKenzie said the hadeda population have an important role in the neighbourhoods besides its familiar three notes sound in the early mornings.
A friendly and professional team of Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education (Care) recently visited a three-week-old hadeda ibis hatchling and her mother in Douglasdale to present a much-needed Christmas gift to the pair.
This was after a company that fells trees in Douglasdale chopped down the branches of a tree that was home to the mother and baby, leaving their nest exposed to rain and the scorching
summer sun.
When hearing the news that the hadeda’s nest had been exposed to threatening weather conditions, Irene McKenzie and Costa Sthole of Care visited the property where the birds were living.
“The hadedas are very important community members and should not be chased away or killed. They help clean our yards by eating insects, millipedes and earthworms, using their long scimitar-like bill to probe soft soil. They also eat larger insects, such as the Parktown prawn, and also spiders and small lizards.
“We came here to ensure that the mother and her baby get a proper nest after the branches of the tree that housed them were trimmed by a private company leaving them exposed to sun,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie urged community members to support their work to care for threatened wildlife species by donating to the organisation.
Details: Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education 083 659 3727.
