Local veterinary practice helps care for wildlife

It quickly became apparent that Sister Lucy Putter, of Bergview Veterinary Hospital in Hermanus, has a keen interest in birds. Lucy has previously worked as a guide and has training in bird guiding. She also spent a year at SANCCOB in Milnerton. “I’m a big bird nerd,” she adds.

Lucy, together with Sister Charlize du Preez, are qualified in wildlife rehabilitation. The practice utilizes their skills to help the local wildlife. Most of the wild birds that come in are fledglings. These need a vast amount of care and require continual feeding. Dr Maarten van Dalsen notes “We can be overrun. We can be feeding four or five birds at a time. It’s hard work, let me tell you. It keeps them busy.”

But other birds come in with conditions ranging from Avian Pox and Avian Influenza to traumatic injuries such as vehicle accidents. Raptors can be attended to after flying into windows or getting caught in fences.

It’s not only avian wildlife that receives attention at the practice. Patients have included tortoises, a puff adder, and various antelope.

A Puff Adder receives attention at Bergview Veterinary Hospital.
A Puff Adder receives attention at Bergview Veterinary Hospital (Lucy Putter)
A juvenile Grey Rhebok explores its surroundings in the Bergview Veterinary Hospital.
Juvenile Grey Rhebok (Lucy Putter)
Egyptian Goose goslings sit on a blanket in the care of the Bergview Veterinary Hospital team.
Egyptian Goose goslings (Lucy Putter)
Lucy Putter with an African Penguin at SANCCOB.
Lucy Putter at SANCCOB (Lucy Putter)

Assisting with poisoned Blue Cranes

An afterhours call was received on Good Friday from a local farmer who had found poisoned Blue Cranes. Twelve had already died, with a further eleven unable to stand. In discussion with Maarten the likely cause of the poisoning was identified, and the appropriate treatment was instituted. All eleven birds recovered.

The cause of the poisoning was an easily available agricultural pesticide. The cranes were not likely the intended target. Baits are put out to attract Egyptian Geese. After the birds become paralysed, they are gathered as a food source. Maarten has encountered three cases involving Blue Cranes over the years. The Overberg Crane Group notes that this is the second reported poisoning in under a year. Maarten reckons that this sort of poisoning is more common. It is not always key species that are the victims. As Lucy notes: “No one is going to report a paralysed goose.”

The breaching of the Klein River

The Klein River was illegally breached and caught all the wildlife off guard in the early hours 30 April. Lucy observed that “I’ve been involved in quite a few crises with animals. This was nasty.” 

Little Grebes being washed about in the waves after the breaching of the Klein River mouth.
Little Grebes outside their normal environment (Manuel Pacheco)
Wave-battered coots make a recovery in the sunshine.
Red-knobbed Coots awaiting treatment (Manuel Pacheco)
Traumatised Litte Grebes awaiting relocation to after waters after the breaching of the Klein River mouth.
Some of the rescued Little Grebes (Manuel Pacheco)
A veterinary nurse attends to the coots after their traumatic experience of being washed out after the breaching of the Klein River lagoon.
Sr Charlize du Preez attends to some of the Red-knobbed Coots (Manuel Pacheco)

Wildlife of all kinds was caught in the rapidly flowing water, including seals. “Geese and Little Grebes and all the Coots were just pummelled by the waves.” When Lucy and Charlize arrived at the scene people were already trying to help the birds. A pile of dead coots had been stacked up. The team tried to warm and dry many of the birds that were exhausted and suffering from hypothermia. Lucy estimates that at least two hundred birds were on the Hermanus side of the mouth, but the other side was inaccessible so there is no estimate of how many birds washed up there. This also does not include birds that drowned and were not accounted for. Many of the birds were relocated further upstream to the quieter waters near Stanford. However, it is likely that a number of these birds would have succumbed later to secondary drowning – infections that follow from having excess fluid still in the lungs. The birds most in need of care were taken back to Bergview Veterinary Hospital and treated with fluids and provided with pain relief and antibiotics. These birds were later released.

Despite the high number of losses, Lucy still has some optimism. The wildlife cases are treated at the expense of the practice. Even with the challenging conditions, and often a low probability of success, she concludes by saying “All we can do is try. If you can save one, it’s worth it.” 

2 thoughts on “Local veterinary practice helps care for wildlife”

  1. Keep up the good work and fight the good fight! Well done Sister Lucy Putter and the team at Bergview Vet Clinic. 👍🏻❤️‍🩹

  2. Thanks Lucy Putter ,Charlize du Preez and Bergview Veterinary Clinic team for their amazing service and dedication assisting all our pets, birds and Wildlife in need. Keep up the good work. We appreciate you!!🤗

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