The St Anne's Enviro Club arranged a visit to The African Bird of Prey Sanctuary in Camperdown recently. The sanctuary, that acts as an educational facility, houses multiple non-releasable rehab birds such as eagles, owls, falcons and vultures; including the Egyptian Vulture that is extinct in the wild in South Africa. The girls were able to observe a group of vultures that they described as "moving around violently in their enclosure all in the name of food". The guide explained that some cultures believe that if you consume a vulture's brain you are able to predict the future, which has led to the decline in vulture numbers. Rhino poaching has also had a knock-on effect because of the use of poison and vultures feeding off the infected carcasses. The girls were given the opportunity to feed a Marabou Stork and enjoy a bird show featuring many of the centre's birds of prey.
IMAGE: Mwenya Chishimba with a Cape Eagle Owl
News supplied by St Anne's Diocesan College.