A renowned captive bird exhibition facility, Eagle Encounters, says the area where animals were being temporarily housed due to flood damage was at the centre, and there were no licence contraventions as animals were kept safe.
This comes after the Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) held an operation and got the court involved after it discovered the grave conditions of animals at Eagle Encounters at Spier Wine Farm outside Stellenbosch.
Inspectors of the SPCA on Tuesday said that they had confiscated six birds of prey, three snakes, and an Egyptian goose from the facility.
However, the animal exhibition centre Eagle Encounters said that these animals in the shed were in animal travel boxes and were placed there as the rehabilitation room and clinic were damaged by flooding.
In further explaining the SPCA’s concerns, the centre said that the injured bird with the maggot-infested wing was received by Eagle Encounters in that state and was admitted between 12pm and 1pm on Thursday, October 5.
“Pain relief was administered immediately, and the procedure taken was as prescribed by the registered veterinarian. It is to be noted that the Eagle Encounters team rescued the bird after hours in the early hours of the morning,” said Tracy Chalmers, Eagle Encounters co-founder and director.
Chalmers further added that the Eagle Encounters vet inspected it on October 6, 2023, and recommended euthanasia. Euthanasia is done by the SPCA.
“Birds and animals in the shed were in animal travel boxes and were placed there as the rehabilitation room and clinic were damaged by flooding.
“Wildlife that is being rehabilitated needs to be confined in calm, dark spaces. The animals were being correctly held and covered to minimise stress,” Chalmers said.
Chalmers also confirmed that the animals were inspected by the vet, Dr Coetzee de Beer, on the morning of October 6, 2023, and none of the animals were in distress.
“What was not reported is that these animals have direct access to sunlight and water during the day and do not remain in these enclosures throughout the day.
“They did not have water at the time of inspection, as the vet’s instruction is that water overnight in an enclosure may lead to the animal getting wet, which can lead to hypothermia and death, which would be an animal welfare issue,” Chalmers said.
State veterinarian Dr Annelie Cloete from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture also confirmed the assessment of the animals at the facility.
“I assessed the Eagle Encounters premises on the morning of October 6, 2023, including the area where animals were being temporarily housed due to flood damage, and concluded that the animals were safe and did not see any licence contraventions.
“None of the animals were distressed, as they were in a safe, dark, and calming environment. The injured animals had already been provided with appropriate pain medication according to the protocol,” De Beer said.
Meanwhile, according to Eagle Encounters co-owner Hank Chalmers, the use of legally permitted falconry methods and practices, such as tethering, is critical to the responsible rehabilitation and management of birds of prey and is permitted by Cape Nature and under the PAPA.
“We tether our birds according to the agreed international standard, and tethering is done so that the birds do not harm themselves, each other, or people.
“There were only two birds that were tethered at the time of inspection and tethered at a permitted length, and the birds are flown free daily. These two birds were tethered due to their species-specific behaviour, and it was done for their own welfare,“ Chalmers said.
Chalmers said that Cape Nature officials conducted a compliance check of the permit conditions at Eagle Encounters on October 6, 2023, and the Cape Nature inspectors who were on site found no violation of any of their Cape Nature permit conditions.
“Cape Nature are the permit regulators for Western Cape Nature Conservation Board trading as Cape Nature. Eagle Encounters have held a Cape Nature permit for 22 years and for the last five years have been licenced under PAPA, when the legislation changed,” he said.
Chalmers highlighted that when the banks of the Eerste River burst in the recent flooding, the flood waters washed through Eagle Encounters at a height of approximately 1am.
“We will continue to work with multiple stakeholders and the regulatory authorities to ensure that all the animals in our care are managed optimally.
“When the banks of the Eerste River burst in the recent flooding, the flood waters washed through Eagle Encounters at a height of approximately 1pm,” he said.
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