Russell Crow is a hard-working and effective fundraiser, having collected R93 204 for VulPro, a leading vulture conservation programme, since the end of 2013.
Russell is a resident Corvus capensis or ‘Cape Crow’, of the Montecasino Bird Gardens, who collects cash from visitors at the Flight of Fantasy shows and deposits it in a box on stage – to the delighted entertainment of the audience.
The funds are handed over on an annual basis to VulPro, the only organisation dedicated to vulture conservation, research, education, captive breeding for release, and rehabilitation in southern Africa. This year a cheque for the amount of R14 327 was handed over to VulPro for their conservation efforts. Last year the funds raised by Russell were used in the release of a young Cape Vulture equipped with a tracking device into the wild for five years, for research and data collection purposes in the hopes of helping the plight of this often misunderstood bird.
The Montecasino Bird Gardens, the only bird park of its kind in Africa, is an educational and conservation centre, with a strong focus on conservation with its effective breeding facility. In 2014, it was awarded PAAZA (African Association of Zoos and Aquariums) accreditation, which saw Montecasino join an elite group of just seven other institutional PAAZA members responsible for the African region within WAZA (the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums). PAAZA accreditation is the highest possible recognition that a living animal institution can achieve in Africa.
To boost Russell’s fundraising efforts for this extremely worthy cause, visit the Montecasino Bird Gardens from 08:30 to 17:00 weekdays, and until 17:00 on weekends and public holidays.
The Montecasino Bird Gardens, through its children’s holiday programme, breeding programme and other special events, fulfil an important role in environmental awareness, while also being a popular family entertainment attraction in beautiful gardens with a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and unusual animals from around the world.
For more information on the Montecasino Bird Gardens, please call 011 511 1864 or visit www.tsogosun.com.
by 