Footage of the young flamingos who were rescued from the severely-depleted Kamfers Dam in Kimberely and taken in by the The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) shows that these once abandoned, starving and dehydrated chicks are flourishing.
SANCCOB, which is located in Table View, shared footage of the chicks frolicking in their outdoor enclosure.
“Here is our most heart-warming moment of the day! There were high levels of excitement amongst the #FlamingoChicks this afternoon when they were placed in the new outdoor enclosure.”
Ultra Pro, a roofing, painting and waterproofing specialist, along with partnering suppliers contributed to ensuring the enclosure was built with sufficient room for the 500 flamingos that are still in the care of SANCCOB.
“The chicks loved every second of this brand new experience and now they’re warm and snug indoors.”
Rescue operations for the chicks began with Saam Staan Kimberley, a non-profit organisation aimed at uplifting the community and that works with other teams to make the town a safer place.
The community and other organisations came together to ensure the safety and protection of these young hatchlings as they were transported via airplane across the country.
Out of the thousands of flamingo chicks that were rescued, an estimated 100 of them are in the care of the World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary & Monkey Park, 560 in the care of SANCCOB and the rest are located at uShaka Marine World in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
SANCCOB says it still requires any volunteers to help take care of these young birds.
“We need volunteers for shifts from 2pm into the after-hours in the evening for a couple of hours at a time. There are lots of tasks at the centre that support and enable the bird handlers to carry out their roles and we welcome volunteer offers for these shifts.”
For those wishing to volunteer or provide any aid to the organisation and towards the care of these chicks, please contact Martine on [email protected].
Picture: SANCCOB / Facebook