Fire damages vulture hide

ALTHOUGH it is a setback, the damage by fire to the new Barry Porter Memorial Vulture Hide in Oribi is not a catastrophe, according to Birdlife Trogons birding club chairman Andy Ruffle.

Andy was devastated to hear that a fire had swept through the grasslands surrounding the hide, burning parts of the structure. However, the damage is not too severe and the hide is expected to be repaired soon. Even though it is now closed, members of the birding club are still doing their popular two-hour vulture viewing tours to the vulture restaurant near the cliffs where the Oribi Cape vulture colony nests.

Further good news is that funding for the repairs is available.

“We have always stressed that the project should be self-sustaining and this has proved the case. There is nearly enough money in the vulture hide account to pay for the repairs and, without us asking, local donors have already come forward to meet the shortfall. Repairs will not incur any financial burden on the Birdlife Trogons club,” said Andy.

The option of replacing the damaged section of the hide with a more fire-resistant material was now under discussion, he added.

The hide, which overlooks the vulture restaurant, maintained by Oribi farmer Mike Neethling, was erected on private land in January this year. A joint venture between the private landowner, Ugu South Coast Tourism and Birdlife Trogons, whose members control access to it, the new facility is already proving to be a huge success as a tourist attraction. More than 100 tourists have visited it since it was opened.

“Many people are coming to this area, often staying at the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, specifically to see the vultures,” Andy said.

It is not just the birding fraternity that is taking advantage of the opportunity of seeing the endangered Cape vultures. Some visitors are only mildly interested in the birds but are attracted by the novelty of close encounters with these big raptors.

“People often set out to visit the hide with preconceived ideas about vultures, believing them to be ugly, smelly birds. When they meet our vultures and discover what beautiful and fascinating creatures they are, they all leave the hide vulture converts,” Andy said.

He added that vultures needed all the support they could get. These magnificent, useful yet often misunderstood birds faced many threats, most of them man-made. The hide was, therefore, performing a valuable environmental function as an educational tool, Andy said.

To find out more about the hide and the Birdlife Trogons club’s conducted visits to the vulture site, contact Andy at 039 695 0829 or: 072 8933794. You can also go to the BirdLife Trogons website at https://birdlifetrogons.blogspot.com