In South Africa annually large numbers of indigenous wildlife require
assistance Wildlife Rehabilitation centers cater specifically for
injured or orphaned indigenous wildlife species. The sole function
of a rehabilitation center is to treat or hand raise the animal,
the primary aim being the return of that animal to it's natural habitat
in the wild in as short time as possible. The rehabilitation process
is intensive and has various requirements including veterinary treatment
and nursing, good husbandry and specialised facilities. Successful
rehabilitation depends on maintaining the inherent wildness of the
animal by minimising human contact.
In South Africa we have a wide variety of fauna, with some of the
smallest and largest species in the world. At FreeMe KZN it doesn't
matter wether it is a Striped Field Mouse, Laughing Dove or Blue
Wildebeest, they all receive the best possible care. And where possible,
are released back into the wild to live free.
FreeMe KZN is permitted by EKZNW to rehabilitate birds, mammals
and reptiles.
The most common reasons for admittances of animals at FreeMe KZN
are:
FreeMe KZN believes that wildlife casualties have been stressed
enough already and in order to successfully treat and rehabilitate
these animals, human contact and disturbance are kept to a minimum.
For this reason, FreeMe KZN does not display animals for entertainment.
We are a registered Section 21 company, and rely solely on donations.
We graciously accept in -kind donations. We require various items
and equipment on a daily basis, See our Wish list. If you have any
of the following, we would gladly accept them, to assist with caring
for our wildlife patients.
Wildlife Rehabilitation has an important role to play in conservation.
Rehabilitation is not about interfering with nature, it is about
taking responsibility for the casualties caused by human activities.
Unfortunately the vast majority of animals that are admitted to our
center are due to direct conflict with man. Regardless of whether
the casualty was caused by a car or a cat, we have a responsibility,
both from a humane and conservation perspective, to care for these
animals.
From a conservation perspective, South Africa has a large number
of endangered, rare and vulnerable species. Each individual animal
is an important part of the dwindling gene pool - and every individual
animal saved contributes to the conservation of the species as a
whole. Each individual life that is saved is beneficial to the species
as a whole.
Education One of the main aims of FreeMe KZN is to engage in meaningful educational
programmes with the general public on issues relating to wildlife
conservation and rehabilitation, in particular urban wildlife.
The staff of FreeMe are more than happy to visit your school, work
place, club, society or local community to talk to you about wildlife
rehabilitation and the work we are involved in, as well as broader
conservation issues. We are able to conduct talks at our premises,
however, numbers are limited and booking is essential. Please note
that we do not keep animals for public display, and talks on our
premises involve slide presentations in our training and resource
centre.
FreeMe KZN is permitted by EKZNW to rehabilitate birds, mammals
and reptiles.