Durban — The collaborative effort of concerned citizens and police resulted in the safe return of a Harris Hawk that was stolen from Crocworld Conservation Centre on July 25.
The team from Crocworld in Scottburgh on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast made a public appeal for any information relating to the theft of the four birds which were taken on the evening of July 25.
In a statement, James Wittstock, a manager of Crocworld, said after the public appeal, the Amahlongwa Community Forum received information about the birds, which was shared with the Umkomaas SAPS detectives.
He said that the police working with the Umzinto K9 Unit managed to recover the birds last week and make two arrests. The suspects have been charged with business burglary and theft.
“The Harris Hawk was found tied to a roof, and they suspect she had not been given much food or water over the three weeks. She has since been cared for at Crocworld and is now ‘back to her normal self’. We are enhancing security measures at the centre to prevent further incidents, including the erection of an electric game fence to safeguard the wildlife,” Wittstock said.
He said the Jackal Buzzards formed part of Crocworld’s many breeding programmes to ensure the survival of threatened animal species, adding that the chick that was stolen was due to be released later in the year.
Two suspects were arrested for the break-in and theft which included a breeding pair of Jackal Buzzards and a chick, one of which was tragically found to have been killed, with the remaining two still missing, he said.
“We would like to extend our huge appreciation to the Amahlongwa Community Forum, the Umkomaas SAPS detectives and the Umzinto SAPS K9 Unit for their concerted efforts in resolving the case. Their tireless efforts led to not only the arrest of two suspects but also the safe recovery of our beloved Harris Hawk, who is now back at Crocworld,” Wittstock said.
In addition to the power of community collaboration and dedicated police, this incident has highlighted how vital our work at Crocworld Conservation Centre is, he said.
KZN spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that the Umkomaas police arrested a 19-year-old suspect for theft.
“He appeared before Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court on August 16,” he said.
Crocworld is also a member of Species360, a global conservation entity that facilitates the collection and curation of information on the Zoological Information Management System, the world’s most comprehensive database of knowledge used in the global fight against extinction.
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