By Sonja Heineck | Marketing Volunteer
In April, some of DAKTARI's animals started to disappear. Not to worry though, it's a good thing! Four of DAKTARI's animals were released back into the wild in April - a very happy time for us!
First to be released was Mickey, one of our new jackals. He was healthy enough to be released and has made his home on the DAKTARI farm. Last time he was spotted by our volunteers, he had a female Jackal with him so we think he's doing great in his new environment!
Next, two of our dassies, or rock hyraxes, were released nearby. Cachou and Pepper were taken to rock outcroppings, their natural habitat. We still see them on our bushwalks as we pass by! Our three remaining baby dassies, Tilou, Lulu, and Buddha, were moved to a new enclosure while they continue to get bigger and more adventurous.
Our final release was of our white-faced skops owl, Nitro. He was brought to DAKTARI after an injury that left him unable to see. We weren't sure if he would be permanently blind or if he would be able to recover. Thankfully, he showed signs of improvement and he was able to hunt on his own. He was released nearby but he hasn't been spotted since. We think he's gone back to the neighbouring farm where he was found.
Two of our animals at DAKTARI also got new hiding places! Our volunteers and staff updated the caracal enclosure for Shangaan, our caracal. He now has a large stone hut and plenty of wood to scratch and climb. We've also added a place for him to have his meals, perched above the ground.
The second enclosure to get a makeover was the meerkat camp. We constantly need to refill their enclosure because they dig out so much of the sand and dirt that they have no were else to dig! This time, we also added a wire mesh patch to the bottom so they could no longer dig tunnels to get out. Our little escape artists had already dug a tunnel between the separated enclosures which we need to patch. Not all of our meerkats get along and so we have to keep them separated. In mid-May, our volunteers teamed up with volunteers from GVI Limpopo to lay down the wire and refill the sand and dirt. The meerkats are back in their enclosure, digging away again!
Although we are always sad to say goodbye to the animals we have cared for and become attached to, we are very happy to see them back where they belong! For those that we aren't able to release, our team is constantly working to make their lives at DAKTARI comfortable and exciting!!
Thank you for all of your support in making these happy endings happen! Without your donations, we wouldn't be able to provide the care these animals need - THANK YOU!
If you are interested in continuing to support DAKTARI's animals, we encourage you to make your donation through GlobalGiving on June 15th at 9am EDT. GlobalGiving will be matching donations to our projects at 50% at 9am EDT and so your donation will go even further!
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