White-backed vultures take flight once more after being rescued in Nkomazi
The vultures were released back into the wild after three weeks of intensive rehabilitation.
It was a moment filled with joy and pride as 17 white-backed vultures were released back into the wild on Monday August 5.
According to Wild and Free Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre’s Deidré Joubert, the vultures had been poisoned and were in distress. “I received a call from the head ranger of Nkomazi Local Municipality on July 17, alerting us about vultures in distress.
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“As I headed to the site, I contacted Kerri Wolter of VulPro, who guided me through the emergency procedures and essential information, especially when one does not work with vultures daily. Upon arrival, the rangers had located only three vultures. However, as soon as we began stabilising them, more started to appear. Each time we finished with one, three more were already waiting for care.”
“It was a daunting yet crucial task,” said Joubert.
The team worked tirelessly to ensure that the vultures received adequate care for their recovery.
“Our trusted vet, Dr Peet Venter, was there to take charge and give instructions to all the volunteers. By about 03:00 the next day, the team from VulPro had arrived and we all worked together seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine. VulPro then took the vultures to complete their recovery at Onderstepoort and then to their flight enclosures at their facility later the same day.”
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Joubert said the hard work paid off when they witnessed the vultures flying back into the wild at an undisclosed location after receiving their much-needed care.
“In a heart-warming turn of events, Wild and Free, Nkomazi Rangers and VulPro released the vultures under VulPro’s instruction back into the blue African sky on Monday. It was a testament to the power of collaboration and dedication in wildlife conservation,” she said. Joubert further emphasised that more training is needed for more people to get involved and create awareness in wildlife conservation.
