Westbrook community unites to rescue baby Duiker

The residents of Westbrook sprung into action yesterday morning to save the life of a baby Blue Duiker that was being sold by two men for R800.

It was not unlike a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat, except in this case it was a Blue Duiker produced out of a brown bag by a poacher.

Westbrook resident Jenny Staats was one of the people approached to buy the tiny animal.

“I heard my husband speaking to the poachers at my gate.

“When I saw the Duiker, I realised that quick decisions had to be made before the animal died from dehydration or stress.”

 “I made an offer to buy the Duiker but it was refused and the two men moved on to find another buyer,” said Staats.

In a panic, Staats thought the only sensible solution was to inform the community on the Westbrook Whatsapp group.

The post was shared to the Alpha Security Whatsapp group where it was later reported that poachers were headed toward Westbrook beach.

Staats said she was amazed at how quickly people rallied to the cause.

“What a caring community we have! Within an hour and with the involvement of Alpha Security, our baby Duiker was taken to the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW).”

CROW spokesperson Sue-anne Shutte said the animal was doing well.

“The Duiker is a male. He is being taken care of and is perfectly healthy,” she said.

The two poachers were reportedly not arrested, however we were not able to confirm this with Alpha Security at the time of publishing.