LIMPOPO – Hoedspruit Reptile Centre veterinarian Dr Jessica Briner recently won the prestigious Owl Award from BirdLife South Africa for her contributions to bird conservation.

“As a wildlife veterinarian, I have the privilege of being exposed to a variety of species however many are underrepresented in the industry. This inspired me to get involved in bird conservation and develop a passion for what I call the ‘weird and wonderful’ which is all the animals most others don’t want to work with including birds and reptiles,” Briner told the Herald.

BirdLife South Africa has a project aimed at researching and conserving the critically endangered white-winged flufftails.

“In preserving this species their severely threatened wetland habitat is also protected and as a result all the other animals residing in their shared environment. The Endangered Wildlife Trust Birds of Prey programme also has a project aimed at monitoring, managing and preventing catastrophic impacts of wildlife poisoning on birds of prey, especially vultures, protecting critically endangered animals that play a pivotal role in environments as nature’s clean-up crew. Since poison events affect countless individuals in the food web each time an incident occurs, our collective efforts help save many individuals across multiple levels genera,” she says.

She says that many critically endangered avian species are either small and unknown or not as charismatic as other animals that are featured in mainstream conservation efforts.

“By sharing the beauty and importance of birds in their ecosystems, I hope to inspire people to join conservation efforts fighting to protect those species that need it most. In doing so, people won’t just save birds but all the animals that share their habitats and or benefit from their presence.”

She says many conservation initiatives lack funding and attention from the media. “It takes a monumental effort for a collaboration to succeed, and if we can’t fund our projects, we can’t continue to succeed. Since many of the animals I work with are not well known in the eyes of the public, attention from the media is critical in getting these animal’s stories out there. Often conservation success stories are centred around the familiar charismatic megafauna, but there are a lot of species that go unnoticed that need our help,” she says.

“Through the white-wing flufftail project, BirdLife South Africa has been able to work with partners across public and private sectors to safeguard significant portions of the severely threatened high-altitude wetlands protecting the habitat of the critically endangered white-winged flufftails and in doing so, protecting a multitude of other animals as well. Any young person wishing to get involved in bird conservation should do so.

“I aim to continue working alongside conservation efforts aimed at protecting those species without a voice. Understanding the role animals play in their environment, the impact humans can have on them, and the measures needed to protect them is critical if we are to safeguard any animal and its habitat. I hope to help in any way I can to contribute to this important field which is deserving of more attention and care,” she adds.

Briner offers her skills, knowledge and advice as a veterinarian to various conservation efforts.

She helps train veterinarians in the management of sick, injured or poisoned birds, assists in research permit and ethical clearance applications, treats and rehabilitates sick animals, develops tracking methods and collects samples from individuals.