Rare birds have been stolen from the Crocworld Conservation Centre on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
A breeding pair of jackal buzzards and a chick, as well as a resident Harris’s hawk, were taken from the centre in Scottburgh last Thursday evening.
The centre is home to a wide variety of reptile species including snakes, lizards, tortoises and, most famously, crocodiles, while its bird collection consists of a wide variety of species some of which are of conservation importance.
The jackal buzzards form part of one of Crocworld’s many breeding programmes that help to ensure the survival of threatened animal species. The stolen chick was going to be released later this year.
The jackal buzzard is a fairly large African bird of prey and the Harris’s Hawk ‒ native to the Americas ‒ is a standout with bold dark brown, chestnut red, and white markings, long yellow legs, and yellow markings on its face.
An appeal has been made to the public for any information related to the theft of the four missing birds.
Centre manager James Wittstock said they hoped the birds were still alive and safe.
“This is the first time birds have been stolen from the Centre. There was no way they could have escaped from their enclosure. There were footprints leading out of the gates of the enclosure, and the fence on the farthest side of the park was damaged.
“We are deeply concerned about the reason for taking these birds as well as where they might be now. We hope that a concerted community effort can assist us in locating them. We believe they were stolen for either the muti trade or pet trade.
“There is a big legal pet trade in South Africa, but, as in every country, there are illegal trades with people selling animals without a licence,” said Wittstock.
Wittstock said the Harris’s Hawk, while native to America, was also bred locally.
“There are many places that breed exotic birds locally. This particular Harris’s Hawk came from Port Elizabeth. Someone who runs a raptor rescue centre offered it to our centre to use as part of our educational bird display,” he said.
He said there were a few species which they bred and released to ensure their conservation.
Wittstock said the centre was home to a range of species, including those that were critically endangered.
Crocworld Conservation Centre is a member of Species360, a global conservation entity that facilitates the collection and curation of information on the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), the world’s most comprehensive database of knowledge used for the global fight against extinction. Breeding programmes, such as those involving the jackal buzzard, form an important part of this research.