Helping nature during times of crisis
– Wildlife Rescue
If you live in the Kogelberg Biosphere, you’re no stranger to disasters.
During these crises, nature is usually at the bottom of the list of priorities.
When we lose thousands of hectares of wild environments, before nature has been able to recover from the previous onslaught, then we start facing a nature catastrophe.
Help us set up a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
We’re working with a permitted wildlife rehabilitator, Michelle Watson from Wildlife Rescue SA to set up a rehabilitation centre for animals. Michelle is one of the first people in South Africa to become certified by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council.
Now you can help to create a safe halfway house for our most vulnerable animals, a place to be treated and to recover, before being released back into the wild.
- We also need enclosures for animals
- Help us find soft release sites
- Help us with food for our patients
- Help with shade cloth and hardware
The Kogelberg Biosphere is preparing itself to help wildlife in distress. And we need YOUR support.
We’ve got a plan:
We’ve already got a team of volunteers who are trained as Wildlife First Responders. We’ve got wonderful vets in our area who are ready to help. AND we’ve got a building that will become our Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre to care for sick and injured animals – in order to release them back into the wild.
Right now our focus is on transforming this old, dilapidated building into a space that can safely house injured animals. We’ve signed a lease with the Overstrand Municipality for the property, which is situated just outside the town of Betty’s Bay. But in order to make this building functional, we’re now running a Back a Buddy campaign, to raise funds for some basic construction requirements.
We’re looking to raise R1-million before the end of 2023. With these funds, we’ll transform the building and fix the electrical and plumbing needs.
Check out our Back A Buddy campaign.
You can also help in other ways. We’re in need of:
- Plumbing supplies, paint, cement, plaster, dry walling, doors, ceilings and other building fixtures
- Garden goods such as soil, buckets, growing bags, spades, a chicken coop and more
- Cupboards, shelving, fridge, gas stove and bottles
- Volunteers to join us over weekends to help renovate the building and parking area
- And much more.
Here’s a full list of the goods we urgently need.
And chat to our Wildlife Rescue team for more information. Contact Michelle Watson on 073 314 0674.
Other Kogelberg threats
Wildfires are an obvious example of threats to our wildlife in the Kogelberg Biosphere. But these are not the only risks we face. One of the biggest threats to our wildlife is that of snares. This is a cruel, inhumane way of catching animals indiscriminately. They create extreme pain and stress for our animals. Poisoning incidents have also been recorded. And there are other events, both natural and manmade, where our natural environment is impacted, with terrible consequences.
We need your help – please get involved:
GET INVOLVED AND DONATE
Donate to this rescue unit. All funds raised are used to acquire the necessary equipment and to run rescue operations.
Banking Details:
Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve
Nedbank
Acc nr: 1057120154
Current Account
Reference: Wildlife
Donate equipment
- First Aid supplies (any first aid medical supplies)
- Medical tape
- Latex gloves
- Animal handling/working gloves
- Towels (all sizes)
- Animal food
- Catching nets
- Fine mesh (birds nests)
- Spray bottles
- Baby bottles and teats
- Heat pads
- Scales (handheld/kitchen)
- Flashlights/headlamps
- Beanies/pouches
- Pillow cases and old sheets
- Carrier cages (cages for transport/temporary holding cage)
- Herbariums/fishtanks
- Animal-carrying stretcher
- Hacksaws/loppers
- Buckets
- Black bags
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Hand sanitiser
- Cable ties, duct tape
- Cotton gauze and bandages
LOCAL VETS WE’RE WORKING WITH
Our wonderful local vets have teamed up with the Kogelberg Wildlife Rescue Group. They’ll be helping when and where they can to treat injured wildlife. If you would like to donate to the rescue work, you can donate to the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve Wildlife Rescue Group. Or you can donate to these vets (please use ‘Wildlife Kogelberg’ as the reference).
Dr Floris Kruger in Kleinmond
Banking Details: Southern Vet, FNB Current account: 63018363513
Dr Peter Dave in Kleinmond
Banking Details: Kleinmond Animal Clinic, Nedbank Kleinmond, Branch 147005, Account: 1470023490
Dr Michelle Lawrance in Grabouw
Banking Details: Grabouw Animal Clinic, FNB Grabouw, 62091293953
Dr Donalyn Hennessey in Villiersdorp
Banking details: Grabouw Animal Clinic, FNB Grabouw, 62091293953
| EMERGENCY WILDLIFE CONTACT LIST | ||
| Wildlife and Birds | ||
| Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue Team | Corlie Hugo | 082 380 9071 |
| Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue Team | Michelle Watson | 073 314 0674 |
| Snakes | ||
| Snake Catcher | Kleinmond | 082 385 1589 |
| Kleinmond Michael Green | 082 212 5116 | |
| Betty’s Bay Johan Cloete | 083 460 2123 | |
| Pringle Bay Francois van Zyl | 083 271 8809 | |
| Pringle Bay Dan | 083 463 9178 | |
| Poison Information Center | Snake Bites | 021 931 6129 |
| Poison Information Helpline | 0861 555 777 | |
| African SnakeBite Institute | Snake & Snake Bites | 082 494 2039 |
| Netcare Ambulance | 082 911 | |
| ER24 Ambulance | 084 124 | |
| Marine Mammals | ||
| S.A National Strandings Network | All Marine Mammals (Meredith Thornton) | 082 746 5579 |
| Overstrand Municipality | Office Hours | 028 316 3724 |
| Control Room | 028 313 8000/8111 | |
| South African Shark Conservancy | Hermanus | 028 312 3029 |
| Sea Turtles | ||
| Two Oceans Aquarium | 021 418 3823 | |
| Seabirds (Marine) | ||
| SANCCOB | CapeTown | 021 557 6156 |
| APSS | Hermanus/Gansbaai | 072 598 7117 |
| Bees | ||
| Gys Boonzaier | Kleinmond | 083 225 5695 |
| Animal Welfare (Domestic) | ||
| KAWS | Kleinmond | 028 271 5004 083 516 5535 |
| Rooisand Wild Horses | ||
| Rooisand Horse Watch | Leanne Dryburgh | 083 293 7208 |
| Prof. F van der Merwe | 082 959 8787 | |
JOIN THE TEAM
You can become a volunteer. Please download and fill in the volunteer form.
We’re also a Public Benefit Organisation with SARS. Our number is PBO: 930029352.
The KBRC can therefore issue Section 18A tax exemption certificates to our donors.
LATEST NEWS
Happy 60th anniversary to the Betty’s Bay Hack Group
The Betty’s Bay Hack Group, the oldest in South Africa, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. It all started in February 1963 when Denys Heesom challenged Betty’s Bay residents to join him in tackling the alien vegetation encroaching on the Betty’s Bay fynbos.
A community comes together to protect our wildlife
On Sunday 4 April, the Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue (KBWR) team, with the assistance of the Overstrand Municipality, members of the public and Betty’s Bay
Biosphere Living
If you live in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve region, you’re already enjoying Biosphere Life. That means you can already enjoy all that Mother Nature offers you here, in this incredibly special part of the world.
You can take the next step, to become even more involved in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.
And remember to include us in your social media posts, by using the hashtag: #BiosphereLiving.