It’s done. There is no more need for the staff members
of SANCCOB Eastern Cape to put on a wetsuit in the pursuit of getting birds out
of the swimming pool in the rehabilitation area. The original pool was over 3 metres deep, dug
by an eager Xolani Lawo, one of the seabird rehabilitators at SANCCOB Eastern
Cape, back in 2006.
With the
construction of the home pen pool for the birds residing permanently at
SANCCOB, it became evident that the rehab pool also needs to be filled up to a
manageable depth, ideal for swimming the birds three times a day as part of the
rehabilitation process. With a depth of
only 1.2 metres, it is now easy to clean the pool by merely draining the water
on a regular interval, without the use of chlorine and other chemicals.
With some
maintenance done on cellular network towers behind the SANCCOB centre, 500 –
600 sandbags, used for anchorage, were donated by Coastal Construction, run by
Kallie Etsebeth, a kind warm-hearted man who quickly became friends with the
penguins.
The rehab pool
was filled up with these sandbags, and with the help of Francois Foster from
Shell Irrigation, an old friend of the St Francis penguins, a dream became
reality. The pool was painted a grey
colour and the steps were covered with sand to give the new rehab pool a
natural feel.
With much
excitement, SANCCOB started using the new rehab pool last week, with African
penguins, a Cape Gannet and a Cape Cormorant enjoying the new pool by washing and
grooming themselves whilst the overly joyed SANCCOB staff tested the water
level. Knee-deep the SANCCOB staff in
Cape St Francis, continue SANCCOB’s world renowned rehabilitation work.
On behalf of the SANCCOB staff, a big thank you to
all their sponsors, like Kallie and Francois.
If you would like to support SANCCOB in Cape St Francis, contact Louanne
Mostert at +27(0)42 298 0160 or louanne@sanccob.co.za, or have a look at their
wish list on the SANCCOB website, www.sanccob.co.za
No comments:
Post a Comment