PICS | Cape Vulture rescue sparks race against time for survival

An injured Cape Vulture sparked an international rescue effort, becoming the first patient from another country admitted to FreeMe Wildlife in KwaZulu-Natal. The bird was found in the Thaba Tseka area of Lesotho with the tip of one wing completely broken off, leaving it unable to fly. Weak, hypothermic and severely underweight, it faced slim odds of survival.

Raptor specialist Tammy Caine of FreeMe Wildlife said the rescue was urgent and complicated. “Cape Vultures fly vast distances in search of food, and of course, they don’t understand country borders, so they only ‘belong’ to a country if they end up grounded in that country,” she said. Because the bird had to be transported by road, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits were required to move the endangered species across the border.

“This created a bit of anxiety as the bird was in desperate need of help, and paperwork can often end up being a long and laborious process, compromising its chances of survival,” Caine said. Fortunately, Lesotho conservation authorities and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife fast-tracked the permits. Wildlife ACT undertook the demanding collection, travelling off-road before transporting the bird to KZN. Everyone was on edge waiting for it to arrive because, honestly, it was in such a weak state on collection that there were concerns if it would survive the long trip back at all.