Claws out as wildlife haven has wings clipped
Complaints lead to ban on new cases of abandoned animals
SOUTH Africa’s biggest wildlife rehabilitation centre has been told to shut its doors amid allegations of animal neglect and poor management.
Johannesburg-based FreeMe — which may treat as many as 80 cases daily during peak summer months and up to 10 000 a year — has been closed since early last month following a series of complaints by volunteers and staff members. About 30 complaints have been submitted to the National Council of SPCAs and a further 40 have been collected.
Among the submissions, seen by the Sunday Times, are:
A blue duiker was kept in an enclosure without access to direct sunlight and was not fed properly. The animal later had to be put down, but the centre denied this was the result of poor care;
Three grey-headed gulls were “eaten alive” after being put in an enclosure that was not properly protected, resulting in a gannet or mongoose biting them in the chest;
Dozens of tortoises were underfed and packed into enclosures that were too small; and
A crested barbet and a Cape robin hatchling died after being put in a glass-walled enclosure designed for snakes, creating a “hot box”.
Volunteers also complained that two experienced rehabilitation experts had been “forced out” in recent months, leaving a void at the centre.
One of the volunteers said in an affidavit: “My concern is that [the animals] are not receiving the care that is required for their rehabilitation and that they are being kept at FreeMe for longer than is necessary. The extended period is detrimental to their health and their ability to be released and integrated back into the wild.
“I believe there are other animals that have . . . died due to lack of adequate care.”
Isabel Wentzel, manager of the NSPCA’s wildlife protection unit, said there had been reports of “a number of events that occurred at the centre” which ultimately led to the organisation’s temporary closure. GATES CLOSED: A volunteer cleaner at the FreeMe wildlife rehabilitation centre VICTIM: A gull that was reportedly killed by a gannet or mongoose at the FreeMe centre, allegedly because it was put in an unsecured enclosure
“The NSPCA was suddenly overwhelmed by concerns and unhappiness expressed by volunteers and staff on the day-today operational side of the centre, changes being implemented, care being provided or the lack thereof, and the management of cases,” said Wentzel.
The Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development cancelled the company’s permit last month, giving it an interim permit — which allowed it to treat animals already in the centre but not to take on new cases — until the board reapplied. Attempts to get comment from the department failed.
FreeMe’s director, Margo Bansda, denied that the centre was badly run. She said previous administrative procedures, particularly around the release of rehabilitated animals, were poor and that she had to put new protocols in place. This caused a backlash among staff and volunteers.
She accused volunteers of not following the instructions of newly hired rehabilitation manager, Karien Schmidt.
“This is hugely emotional [for them] because we are saying they cannot come and play with the animals any more. What happened before . . . is not the way FreeMe should be operating,” she said.
The procedures being replaced included the handling of animals and, in some cases, volunteers taking them home.
However, Margi Broklehurst, a former FreeMe CEO and one of the founding volunteers, denied that the volunteers were inexperienced. Some had been helping for more than a decade.
“We’ve always had orientation courses, first-aid courses, clinic courses, and all those things . . . so that the volunteers are experienced at what they do. Not only were they astounded by the lack of care, but they were absolutely incensed . . . that the animals were not being properly treated.
“This is the first time since FreeMe was founded 17 years ago that it is not receiving animals,” said Broklehurst.
An online petition was launched three weeks ago calling for Bansda and the board to resign, saying that they had been “derelict in their duty to
We are saying they cannot come and play with the animals any more
FreeMe and to our wildlife”. The petition has been signed more than 1 200 times.
Wentzel said FreeMe was one of the busiest rehabilitation centres in the country. “These cases are now being referred to other facilities, veterinarians and even individuals not necessarily permitted to operate as a rehab centre.”
She said the NSPCA was liaising with FreeMe about clearing the centre of the remaining animals until the new permit application was approved.
Bansda said the application was submitted on Friday, and FreeMe hoped to reopen by the middle of next month. In the interim, some facilities were being upgraded. Comment on this: write to tellus@sundaytimes.co.za or SMS us at 33971 www.sundaytimes.co.za