Yesterday I sent two injured vultures up to
VulPro again. How do we do this? We use DHL Supply Chain transport. Over the years DHL has supported the plight
of these precious birds and many a vulture has been transported in their long
haul trucks.
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| Fleet 661 leaving Queenstown |
Initially we used to use the Port Elizabeth
depot which is a good 4 hours travel from Rookwood. The birds would be
collected and taken to the depot before leaving Port Elizabeth usually late
afternoon, early evening. This was a
long journey for them as often they would only reach the Pretoria depot just
after midday the following day.
Things changed over the past years and now
the trucks that run from East London through Queenstown are utilized and I just
have to meet the truck at the Ultra City in Queenstown with my cargo of
vulture/s depending on what needs to go to Vulpro for treatment. This has cut down the travelling time for the
birds which now is normally an overnight trip.
Graham from East London is very efficient and normally informs me early
in the morning that he has an opportunity to load the birds and later confirms
driver’s names, contact details, time of departure and estimated time of
arrival in Queenstown to facilitate the process. I am also extremely lucky as the owner of the
Ultra City in Queenstown was once our farm neighbour here at Rookwood, and is
always very accommodating with regard to our using his facilities in town.
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| one of many vultures ready for transport |
So yesterday the pattern was no different,
and my emotional feelings likewise.
Every vulture I have worked with has an individual personality and when
one collects them, you can identify this immediately. Some are easy going while some really give
you a hard time. Every time I load
vultures for Vulpro, I know each one will react differently. I have
to send them to get expert assistance and often medical treatment, that I
cannot give them this side.
So due to the horrific conditions of our
35km gravel road to town, I work out the time needed to load the birds, travelling
time to get to town to be able to meet up with Fleet no 661 which has departed
East London at 13h30 to meet it in Queenstown at 17h00.
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| DHL Fleet 661 with Thabo and Elliot |
Yesterday’s precious cargo was one young Cape
Vulture and one young White-back Vulture.
The Cape Vulture was one of those thin dehydrated weak juveniles, which
attempted to fly away from me three times before being caught. She however has a problem in her leg joint so
I knew best to send her up to Vulpro for further prognosis and treatment.
The young White-back had been collected by
a Free State farmer and definitely had injury to the wing and leg. This little bird was one I really stressed
about as it was picky eater. Furthermore
I could never release it here as we do not get White-backed vultures down this
way.
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| young injured White-backed vulture |
I meet Thabo and Elliot, the drivers of
Fleet no 661, on time. In actual fact a
little bit earlier than normal.
Obviously no stop go road works from East London to Queenstown. Elliot tells me that this is the third time
they have transported birds for me.
We
transfer the birds into the crates that have been sent down from Vulpro thanks
to Nadia Opperman in the Pretoria offices.
What the rest of the truckers, who utilize this area, must think, would be interesting to find
out.
Crates and vultures securely loaded
and tied down, Thabo and Elliot greet with a blast of their hooter and off they
head back to the N6 for the long journey of just over 850km to Pretoria.
From now on my emotions are on a high until
I know that they are safely in the hands of Kerri and Vulpro. This will never change as they are like
children that I have sent out on a journey and I unable to travel with them. As usual I wake up during the night,
wondering and calculating how far they would be......... “through Bloemfontein by
midnight, no wait, there are those stop go roadworks between Rouxville and
Smithfield, which tends to delay traveling time” and “of course on the N1 that
stretch near Kroonstad is also under construction”.
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| DHL truck leaving the Ultra city in Queenstown |
Morning comes and I eagerly await news from
Kerri as to whether they are safely at Vulpro.
When the news comes through, the White-backed vulture is fine but has a
broken wing, and prognosis on the Cape vulture is looking fairly good. I can step down until………….the next time!
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| White-back vulture safely at VulPro |
Why do you ask, do we not transport them
any other way. Vultures are tough guys. I have over the years seen and collected
birds, that I thought, if it had been a human, they would have given up living
already.
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| Cape Vulture safely at VulPro |
I will never let a bird go,
unless I feel they can endure the overnight trip to Pretoria. DHL have assisted us for many years now and
we are extremely grateful for this wonderful working relationship with them.
So whenever you see these yellow long haul
trucks, salute them and their drivers, they are truly DHL Vulture Angels.
