Bird Park has to sell some friends
for the city manager’s signature.
“It will then go to the adjudication committee for a 14-day period to see if any objections are lodged.
“If there are no objections, we should be able to start working from next month,” said Mthembu.
DA committee member Martin Meyer, said he was concerned that the backlog was massive and it would take some time to catch up.
“I have a long list of street lights for the different wards. It is very concerning that the municipality has taken so long to sort this problem. The situation got worse last year where there were no globes to replace faulty lights.
“Street lights are an important part of our battle against crime. In areas like Morningside, we have seen a spike in crime when the lights are off,” said Meyer.
Mdu Nkosi, IFP committee member, said he had enquired about the same issue for more than a year.
“The municipality has put the lives of residents in danger by failing to resolve a simple issue. It is unacceptable that the supply chain management unit can take a whole year just to appoint a contractor.” WITH a collection of more than 800 birds from 200 species, the Umgeni River Bird Park would have to soon sell off some of its feathered friends.
The city announced the sale of the birds this week as the carrying capacity at the park, due to breeding, has been exceeded.
The city’s community services committee recommended this be done so that the legal requirements of keeping a certain number of birds per cage size, was not contravened.
About 70 birds from different species, with prices ranging from R1 500 to R15 000 each, will be up for sale.
However, only permit holders would be allowed to buy them.
Among the birds for sale, would be the Luzon bleeding heart dove, Guira Cuckoo, Scarlet Ibis and Green-winged Macaw.
The city also granted authority to exchange the birds with other birds parks on an equal value basis. The date of when the sale would begin was yet to be confirmed.
City spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said Umgeni River Bird Park currently kept a larger stock of various bird species and they continued to breed resulting in an increase in stock numbers.
However, the facility still has a number of birds which were in excess of its carrying capacity. Some species within the park are the only representatives of their kind in Africa, while others are commonly kept as pets.
“The birds will be sold to potential buyers and the proceeds of the sale will be used to purchase additional birds required at the Umgeni Bird Park,” he said.
Meanwhile, the committee has approved the transfer of Umgeni River Bird Park management function from Top Administration Services PTY LTD to the Parks Recreation and Culture Unit.