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You can find our donation trolleys at supermarkets around Howick and Hilton.

🙏 Together, we can work towards a better life for the abused, neglected, forgotten and unwanted animals of uMngeni! ... See more

Important info below 👇👇

From August to November, it is fledgling season. This means that birds are breeding, and their chicks are beginning to leave the nests.

Fledglings may be seen on the ground, hopping around or flying very low. These birds cannot fly yet, but their parents are still feeding them diligently as they learn how to be proper adult birds.

Please do not “rescue” these birds. They have more chance of surviving if they are left alone. Rehabilitators are inundated with fledglings being brought in by people who do not realise that the birds that they are picking up are actually in a normal stage of life.

If you see a bird that looks young and abandoned, there are a few ways that you can check if this is indeed so:

• Does the crop feel full? The crop is located on the breast, use your fingers to gently feel if there is any food in it.
• Can you see the parents? If you are concerned that the parents might not be there, bring your pets inside for a short while and watch to see if there are any adult birds of the same species near them.

Please try to leave these birds in their natural habitat. By sending birds to rehabilitators, it decreases the survival rate of birds that actually need care as the rehabbers then need to look after perfectly healthy birds.

If you see a fledgling that appears to need help, follow these steps:
1. If it is getting dark and the parents have not returned yet, bring the bird inside and place it in a box with a warm water bottle, but leave space for the bird to cool off. Avoid as much contact as possible. In the morning, place the bird outside again and watch to see if the parents return. BIRDS CANNOT SMELL IF A HUMAN HAS TOUCHED THEIR CHICK, THEY WILL ALSO NOT REJECT IT IF THEY SEE YOU TOUCHING IT!

2. Bring your pets inside and observe from a window to see if the parents return to the chick. You only need to watch for an hour or two.

If after doing all this, and the parents have not returned, then you can make the decision to take the bird to a rehabber. You can also take it if:
• The bird is injured/caught by a cat even if you can see no marks (cat spit is toxic)
• The bird is not fully feathered and thus should still be in a nest (only do this if getting it back into the nest is not possible)

If you cannot bring the bird to a rehabber immediately, DO NOT FEED IT PRONUTRO! Pronutro is highly detrimental to birds. Keep the bird warm and get it to a rehabber as soon as possible if this is required.

Thanks to Isabella Colatruglio for the tips! ... See more