Tracey Gilpin‚ marketing and media manager of animal rescue charity Tears‚ urged people to alert wildlife specialists such as Cape Nature or the SPCA wildlife unit if they found injured wild animals.
The shelter‚ which generally cares for domestic animals‚ has also taken in frightened and injured rabbits‚ pigs and birds. But many animals need to be taken to wildlife specialists.
A young grysbok that had been separated from its mother had been taken to an expert who had experience in bottle-feeding buck.
“We try to treat them if we can‚ but there is a lot of legislation around tortoises‚” said Gilpin. “Tortoises taken from their home territory have to be taken back to that specific area.”
Tortoises carried diseases which could wipe out other tortoises if they were placed in the incorrect territory. Additionally‚ they must be placed in the area with vegetation that supports their breed-specific diet.
Tears is caring for between 20 and 50 more animals than the 300 it usually houses.
“We have a very small staff who are pushed on normal days. The staff are exhausted after going out last night in search of animals and having to come in today for their normal duties‚” said Gilpin.
“Many domestic animals or pets from informal settlements run out of the area and are brought in as lost‚ and many hide under bushes or pieces of wood because they are so scared.”
-TMG Digital/Sunday Times
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