May 21st, 2009 - Kouga

KOUGA WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTRE
Having spent seven years in the Kalahari working with wildlife I found that retirement, even to a pretty place like Wilderness, was unsatisfying.
After flying off to Australia to spend a month working on the Sea Shepherd anti- whaling ship, the SS Steve Irwin, I realised that I just cannot live happily knowing that I could be doing much more for our wildlife.

Our journey took us into the Baviaanskloof where we met and talked to people living there about what land was available. This is rugged and beautiful country where the last remaining leopards in the area hang on to a precarious existence.

On one of our trips, we happened to meet Mr Anton Gerber, a substantial landowner in the Kouga mountains near Kareedouw and he offered to set up the infrastructure for the Centre on his own land. A piece of land on the farm Brandekraal was identified as the most suitable site for the Centre. For those using Google Earth, the precise location is at GPS co-ordinates S33.83383 and E024.24557
Here, there is an existing farmhouse and outbuildings that will form the basis of the infrastructure for the centre.
A wildlife rehabilitation centre will be built in one of the most exquisite and wild areas which has been earmarked by government to expand into a Mega Reserve, incorporating Addo Elephant Park.
The benefits of the centre would be:-

1. To provide care for orphaned and injured wildlife, and rehabilitation back into the Mega Reserve.
2. Un- releasable birds and animals would be given lifetime care in a sanctuary environment, which will be used both for tourism and for conservation education programs.
3. Employment, skills acquisition and quality of life enhancement for previously disadvantaged South Africans in the greater Baviaans area.
4. A tourism reception and information centre will be incorporated into the education facility at the Centre.
5. Reintroduction of species. The centre would be an ideal platform from which to do soft releases of reintroduced species. Animals brought in from other habitats need time to adapt to different vegetation.
6. Breeding program. Captive breeding programs can be established at the centre in order to breed desired species for release into the reserve. For example previously endemic species, which have become regionally rare or extinct, could benefit from such programs.

The project will begin towards the end of 2009 and in the meantime Chris and I are busy with the normal permit applications and meetings with the relevant government departments to get permission to open the centre.
Our new logo has been designed by Shirli Hill and we are very proud of it.

As the centre grows I will be posting a monthly newsletter on all that is transpiring at the centre, from the first day that we arrive to begin building and then to rescues and releases. I will be posting photos for you to see all that we are doing and for you to meet all the amazing creatures that will come through our centre.

Please register on the site so that I can send those newsletters out to those of you who would like to receive them.