NEWS: Security guard takes falcon under wing
Caring security guard takes injured falcon under his wing after paths cross
ELGIN du Preez had often seen falcons swooping over his northern areas home so when he saw an injured bird hopping along Libertas Street, he knew just what it was. The swift action by the caring Omega security guard saved the lanner falcon and showed that, in a world of diminishing natural habitat and increased pressure on wildlife, “some people do give a damn”, Wildline founder Arnold Slabbert said yesterday.
Du Preez, 29, called Slabbert after being referred to him by the Animal Anti-Cruelty League, which has been working hard for three decades in the northern areas to increase awareness about animal issues of all kinds.
But the drama started on Tuesday opposite Distell Liquor Warehouse in Kenako Mall in New Brighton, where Du Preez was on duty. The bird was clearly in trouble, he said.
“I always see them in the sky above my place in Marikana, behind Booysen Park. There, it’s the red [peregrine] ones but I saw straight away this was a falcon too.
“I could see it was injured and it was going to be hit by a car.
“I didn’t try to catch it because I could see it had a sharp beak and claws, but I herded it into the Distell yard and then called the Animal AntiCruelty League in Cleary Park.”
Slabbert said the bird was a juvenile male and it was clearly in bad shape when he and Wildline partner Allison Cawood got to the scene.
“It had obviously flown into barbed wire, probably not long before Elgin spotted it because the wound was still fresh. Its right wing was ripped and it was bleeding. It would not have survived long on the street.”
He said he could tell from the bird’s prominent keel bone it was also undernourished, and this probably related to its accident.
“The undernourishment might have been the result of ‘trich’, a disease sometimes contracted from prey pigeons infected by the Trichomonas gallinae parasite, or it might have been secondary poisoning.”
The Wildline team raced the falcon to the Mount Croix Animal Hospital and, because it had been so recently injured, vet Dr Matthijs Ravensberg was able to sew up the torn muscles.
The bird was now recovering and would later be released, probably into the NMU nature reserve, Slabbert said.
“So few people give a damn about stuff like this but this security guard did. He phoned us several times to make sure we were on our way and was so happy when we managed to catch the bird. “Thank you and well done to him.” Du Preez said his action stemmed from his love for all animals.
“My grandfather put me on the couch when I was little to watch [SABC TV wildlife programme] 50/50, and it grew from there.”