42 rescued chicks in the pink
AFTER spending more than two months at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob), 42 flamingos have been sent back to the Northern Cape.
The birds were among thousands of abandoned chicks that were rescued from the Kamfers Dam in Kimberley at the end of January.
The dam, which is privately owned, is a major breeding site for lesser flamingos, but the chicks were abandoned by their parents after the dam ran dry.
The rescue operations were headed by SaamStaan Kimberley, a non-profit organisation.
The birds were taken in by The World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary & Monkey Park and Sanccob, among others.
Sanccob spokesperson Ronnis Daniels said 42 birds were sent back yesterday, and 49 still remained.
“They arrived safely and have been placed in quarantine, which is routine, at the breeding site.
“They will be there for two weeks, under the care of vets who will monitor them, and be released back into the breeding area.”
She said the breeding site was in a much better state, with water and algae levels increasing to suitable levels for the birds.
Sanccob vet Dr David Roberts said they were sad to see the birds go, but they would now focus on the remaining 49 in the hope of getting them strong enough to be released as well.
“We will probably move them in May, but we want them to be big enough, and it also depends on when the permit will be approved to move them, and on getting moving boxes for them.
‘‘We sent the strongest birds back as they weighed over a kilogram. We use the weight to see how strong they are as it shows how healthy they are and that they are eating well.”
Roberts said he was hopeful that the birds that had been sent to the Northern Cape would adapt well.
“The Best case scenario is that they grow and don’t look back, and they learn from the wild birds that are there.
‘‘We’ll miss them, as we put a lot of effort into looking after them, but we are hopeful that they will be fine,” Roberts said.