The Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital saved a poisoned Jackal Buzzard and hopes to raise awareness about how awful poisons are.
Johannesburg, South Africa (30 March 2022) – South Africa is home to some incredible creatures, from cute and cuddly to powerful and vicious, plus so many more! These animals play a vital role in our ecosystem, which is why they need to be protected.
In times of trouble, should an animal become injured, the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital is the place to take said injured animal. They specialise in treating indigenous wildlife.
From the intricacies of saving a trafficked Pangolin to the dangers of dealing with venomous and powerful snakes, you name the wild animal, and the team will work tirelessly to save it and return it to nature.
Each animal that is brought in has a story worth sharing, from being abandoned or falling out of a tree to being caught in snares and rescued from poachers.
The wildlife vet has created a platform that raises awareness for these animals and provides education to the public about the dangers of poaching.
The latest patient at the hospital was a poisoned Jackal Buzzard. The poisoning was classed as secondary, meaning the buzzard caught and ate a rat that had ingested rat poison. As the wildlife vet states, there is no such thing as a safe poison.
“This Jackal buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus) was brought to our hospital by the Bethlehem SPCA. The visibly dehydrated bird was immediately placed on a drip and blood test confirmed that he was suffering from rodenticide toxicity (rat poison).
He was also treated for uveitis (a serious form of eye inflammation), in his one eye. Thankfully he had a good appetite and put on more than 500g while in our care.
The once thin, lethargic, dehydrated and very ill buzzard made a wonderful recovery. He received a SAFRING for identification purposes, and was successfully released with the help of the same SPCA.
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Despite what marketing pitches may suggest, there is NO such thing as a safe poison. Secondary poisoning is very common, and will always be an issue, no matter what the package insert might say. There are many humane rodent control options, PLEASE NEVER use poison.
We treat indigenous wildlife, free of charge, relying on the community for donations and support.”
There are several ways that people can help. JWVH accept donations here, or see their full wishlist here. An easy way to get involved is to also nominate them on your MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet rewards card, which you can do so here. Or via direct bank transfer, see their banking details below.
Snapscan: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/PXMP5766
Johannesburg Wildlife NPC
FNB Cheque account
Account nr: 62658400264
Branch code: 255355
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ
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