In December 2024 a juvenile African Goshawk was in the care of a wildlife rehabilitator in Napier for two weeks for medical treatment and hand rearing, after which it was sent to the Kogelberg Wildlife Rescue Centre at Betty’s Bay for flight training and soft release.
The bird was subsequently marked with a SAFRING by Coeire Badenhorst on the 22nd of February just prior to its release into the wild.
Michelle Watson of the centre issued this statement today, 24th March 2025…..
“We are so thrilled to hear about a sighting of one of our releases. A juvenile African Goshawk, that could not be returned to its natal area, spent a short time with us, gaining weight and honing its hunting skills. As per protocol, rehabilitated birds are marked with a SAFRING before release so that we can collect data such as this.This bird was ringed by Coerie Badenhorst on the 22nd of Feb and was spotted today, a month later, fat, healthy and attempting to kill a mongoose! According to Vincent who shared the sighting, it did manage to kill and eat a dove.
Please keep a lookout for other released birds in our biosphere and let me know if you spot the tiny identification ring on their right leg.”
This is brilliant news and shows that with the right people in place, and the support of the community we all can make a difference to our feathered friends.
If you do spot a bird with a ring please contact the centre on 082 380 9071.