Bongani Khumalo noticed an injured Hadeda while on his way to his new job at the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa, so he stopped to catch it.
Phillipi, South Africa (24 June 2022) – Bongani Khumalo recently started a new job at the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa and one morning, on his way to work, he saved a hadeda’s life.
They have been called South Africa’s notorious alarm clock, but the indigenous bird is so much more than a noisy pest; they are part of our country, and their infamous sound is part of days.
The hadada ibis (Bostrychia hagedash), also called hadeda, is an ibis native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for its loud three to four-note calls uttered in flight, especially in the mornings and evenings when they fly out or return to their roost trees. Love it or hate it, that sound is part of our country, and I don’t think any of us can imagine a day without it.
Did you know the Hadeda is a protected bird? It is illegal to harm them in any way. Yet people still do. Thankfully there are good people in this world, and Bongani is one of them.
He recently graduated from UNISA as a Veterinary Welfare Assistant and put his skills to good use. While walking to work, he saw the injured bird and caught it. He took it to the AWS SA Phillipi branch where he works, and it was treated.
“Bongani noticed that the bird appeared to have an injured wing and could not fly leaving it in pain and vulnerable to predation.
After a brief run-around he managed to safely catch the injured bird (who he referred to as a “feathered friend”) admit it to Hospital and arrange for its transfer to a specialist avian rehabilitator for treatment and release back into the wild once it had regained use of the injured wing.”
Thanks to Bongani, the hadeda will live to shout another day.
Be like Bongani!