The Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)

Our Services

As previously stated at C.R.O.W we rescue, rehabilitate and release injured, orphaned and otherwise displaced wildlife.

C.R.O.W is committed to conservation and strives to return all rescued and rehabilitated wildlife to their natural habitat. Our “Home Free” programme promotes these interests through active partnerships with caring people.

Should you or your company wish to “sponsor” an animal’s rehabilitation, either contact Sharon Tugwell or call +27 +31 4621127, for further information, or watch this space for details on which animals are in need of long term sponsorship.

Big Brothers for Baby Bok

In early October 2010 a Durban Girls’College pupil, Catherine Clarke, stumbled upon a new born baby black springbok while walking through the veld on a friend’s farm in the Eastern Cape. The little buck still had its umbilical cord attached and “didn’t even flinch” when Catherine and her father approached. Cautious that the mother might be somewhere nearby, they left the little baby but when they returned to the same spot approximately 5 hours later the baby was still in the same place unattended.

The farm had been hit by a severe drought and it is well known that wild animals when battling to survive can’t produce enough milk and are forced to sometimes abandon the by then ailing young. The Clarke family brought the little buck, (named Skip) back to Durban to be placed in the care of CROW and has been supporting her upkeep with a monthly donation.

Skip is now 6 months old and almost ready to be introduced back into a herd. As springbok are not endemic to KwaZulu Natal an appropriate home needed to be found for Skip in either the Free State or Eastern Cape. It was therefore a most uncanny coincidence that longstanding supporter of CROW, Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis, happens to have a farm in the Free State and some springbok roaming on it! Bismarck and his brother Jannie agreed to adopt Skip and are in the process of sourcing some more black springbok to keep her company. Although black springbok are rare, just like white springbok they are not a subspecies but the result of selective breeding. Initially we had difficulty in finding a home for her as most farmers keep black and white springbok for the purpose of trophy hunting. We are so delighted that she has found a safe home with Bismarck as we know he is passionate about wildlife.

In celebration of CROW’s 30th anniversary this year, the Du Plessis brothers challenge all rugby supporters to donate R30 to CROW.

Vervet Appeal – Donnate R20 Now and Stand a Chance to Win A Safari in Botswana’s Tuli Block

Donate now by visiting our donations page.

Vervets are becoming increasingly under pressure because of on-going developments, increased road traffic and human sprawl. CROW has between 60 and 70 vervets in the rehabilitation process ALL the time and each year the need to rescue these animals increases. Wherever possible we heal these injured creatures and then build them into viable troops which are released back to the wild after approximately two and a half years. Babies need to be hand-reared when they lose their mothers and the investment in time and money is enormous, however we do not turn them away as they need our help.

Now it is our time to ask for YOUR help!

Funding is at an all-time low and CROW is battling financially more than ever as the one thing we will not do is drop our standard of care. We also do not want to have to refuse to admit any animals because we can’t afford to give them the correct level of care so we need your help please.

But we are not asking you to give without a chance to get something back. Wild At Tuli Safaris in the Tuli Block in Botswana has donated a 3-night, 4 day safari for 4 people on a Fully Catered basis. Their tented camp is in a true wilderness area where you get to experience how nature intended animals to live. Each time you donate R20 to CROW you will be entered into a draw to win this wonderful prize valued at over R8,000.00.

To find out more about Wild At Tuli Safaris, click Wild At Tuli

New Hatchlings Thanks to The Trust

Last night CROW received it’s first batch of Egyptian Goose eggs in from a member of the public who had cut down a tree in their yard and then found the eggs. In the past this would have presented us with quite a problem as CROW has had very old, home-fashioned brooders which were at the very least, tired!!!

But no such problem with these eggs – thanks to The Trust who support CROW and who named us as one of the beneficiaries of the AIMA Dinner, we received donations to upgrade our baby bird room and this included the purchase of two brand new, state-of-the-art brooders, long-awaited and much needed for our baby birds.

The goose eggs were placed in one of the brooders so kindly donated by The Trust and this morning we had 7 new baby goslings!! Without the new brooder we would have had to keep the eggs in the warming drawer of one of our staff member’s ovens, or use the out-dated brooders that we have and there would have been far less a chance of success!

The goslings will stay at CROW until they are able to fly properly after which they will be released to go free.

Judi Gounaris – 12 August 2010

Grey Duiker Release

CROW Volunteer, Natasha Torres, went with on the release of two grey duikers who have been in rehabilitation at CROW. She gave us this report. “Today CROW released two of their rescued grey duikers, Bella and Eddie, back into the wild at Tala, a 3,000 hectare Game Reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal.

This morning most of the CROW staff and volunteers could be seen in the Antelope enclosure to capture the two duiker, putting them into two animal carriers and loading them on to the CROW bakkie.

Bella and Eddie both became orphans after their mothers were killed. Bella was confiscated from a man who was trying to sell her on the roadside at North Beach and was admitted to CROW when she was only 3 days old. Two week old Eddie came from Wartburg after being attacked by a dog. He suffered a dislocated hip bone and was under veterinary treatment for many weeks.

We drove 68 km to have Bella, now 8 months old, and Eddie, 17 months old, released into a safe environment with over 380 species of birds, game such as rhino, giraffe and antelope, as well as a huge number of indigenous plant species.

The release site was truly stunning, situated next to Tala’s Marula Education Centre, filled with wild, long grass, surrounded by trees and a duiker-sized waterhole – the perfect home for these two displaced animals to come to!

After all the fuss of not wanting to be in the carriers back a CROW, at Tala they did not seem to want to leave them. Eddie was first to come out, curious to see his new surroundings. Bella hid in the box until Sue-Anne, CROW’s clinic nurse, tapped on it. Bella shot out at such a speed, showing some of her fantastic jumping skills. From there they joyfully jumped back into the wild where they belong.

These duiker are a prime example of what the staff at CROW do on a daily basis – rescue, rehabilitate and then release, from bird to buck, to the fastest of cats and the slowest of tortoises, this is what they strive to do.”

Natasha Torres

Summer 2009 Releases

In the summer of 2009 CROW has released 394 animals back into the wild where they belong!!! This is in keeping with our mission to rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife back to where it belongs.

Those freed include 19 banded-mongooses, duiker, a bushbaby, a bush pig, genets, water monitors, a pelican, sparrow hawks, a steen buck, spotted eagle owls, night adders and a large variety of other wild birds.

This is no mean feat, given the number of animals needing care, the very limited funds available, as well as the diminishing number of safe places to release animals into. But we at CROW remain optomistic about our work and for every creature that goes free our reward is to know that we made a difference.

If you have a safe place where you think animals could be released back to the wild, please contact CROW on 031 462 1127 and speak to Mabel or Samantha.

New New Baby Baboon Arrives at CROW

The Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) in Yellowwood Park has recently become home for an orphaned baby Chacma baboon. “Robbie” is approximately 1 month old and was rescued by KZN Wildlife in the Vryheid District. The baby’s mother was killed by hunting dogs and the baby baboon held in a hut when neighbours alerted the authorities.

As baby baboons are with their mother’s 24 hours a day, Robbie demands around the clock attention from his caregiver, Mabel Watts, CROW’s primate manager. “He will not let me out of his sight without becoming agitated and calling for me” says Mabel, “raising a baby baboon is a far more taxing job than raising a baby”. Robbie will be in Mabel’s care for approximately 4 months after which he will be transferred to a surrogate baboon mother. Presently he is being fed on a special formula mixture and is wearing newborn baby nappies.

CROW currently has a small troop of 8 sub adult baboons and Robbie will join this troop once he is old enough. In the last 2 years CROW has successfully rehabilitated and released 19 baboons back into the wild.

As previously Stated C.R.O.W is 100% donnor funded. As such we rely entirely on the generosity of the South African public.

If you would like to be a part of our efforts to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals please fill out either the donations form (by clicking here) or the Bequest form (by clicking here) and fax them to 086 661 3451 together with your deposit slip.

All of your support is greatly appreciated!

For direct deposits our banking Details are as follows

First National Bank
Acc Name: CROW
Acc No: 507 702 308 59
Branch: Durban Main Branch
Branch Code: 221426