Another falcon roost struck by hail storm, this time in Newcastle
Image: Jackie Clausen
Two weeks after more than 1,000 Amur falcons were battered by hail in Mooi River, a roost was hit in Newcastle on Thursday night.
FreeMe Wildlife KZN Rehabilitation Centre received a desperate plea from Sylva Francis, a wildlife rehabilitator, asking for help after the hail storm wreaked havoc in the northern KwaZulu-Natal town.
"Just as we thought the worst was over, a desperate plea came through in the early hours of this morning ... the Amur falcon roost in Newcastle was hit by a hail storm last night.
"While she and the team on the ground there, including the Newcastle SPCA, attend to the birds on the scene, two teams from FreeMe KZN are on their way to assist," the organisation said in a Facebook post.
Two weeks ago, in what is believed to be the biggest single-species rescue in SA, more than 1,000 falcons battered by hail were transported in bakkies and trailers to the Howick-based rehabilitation centre.
The birds, also mostly Amur falcons that had migrated from the Amur River between Russia and China to the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Midlands, were injured at a roosting site in Mooi River.
About 1,090 birds were admitted for treatment, while 713 were killed.
The birds were released after receiving treatment.