Raptor Rescue
Rehabilitation in Hammarsdale

A PLACE OF CARE AND SAFETY FOR INDIGENOUS BIRDS OF PREY.

The facilities at the center include a clinic with a treatment room, 8 treatment boxes, and 2 recovery rooms. Raptor Rescue is also affiliated to other organisations working with birds of prey. Apart from his hands on work as an experienced rehabilitator, Ben has also been involved in the captive management and breeding of raptors, including two Red Data species. He is presently very involved in research and tracking projects for raptors, and manufactures his own transmitters, designed specifically for each species he works with. The daughter of an ex game ranger and wildlife rehabilitator, working with wildlife is very much a passion for her. After receiving her Diploma in Nature Conservation, she went on to work for several years at the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary doing education and public flying displays with birds of prey. Apart from running the administration of the clinic, and assisting with hands on work with the patients, she is most actively involved with the research and community education projects that Raptor Rescue supports. He started his career working with birds of prey as a groundsman at the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary. He is in charge of general maintenance at the clinic, and his skills as a handyman are impressive. He is also responsible for the daily care of the birds in the recovery enclosures, as well as the record keeping on these birds. Dr Tatham is a Veterinary Surgeon who has been practicing since 1983, and is currently based at Veterinary House Hospital in Pietermaritzburg. His areas of interest include Avian and Exotic Medicine and Surgery, Small Animal Medicine and Surgery and Game Capture. Dr Tatham has been Raptor Rescue's dedicated veterinarian since the rehabilitation center was first established, and has been invaluable to the release success of the birds admitted to the center, especially those who have needed orthopedic procedures. She has broad research interests, but is especially interested in ecophysiology, and urban and invasive ecology. She is currently involved in several other projects on a range of species including fruit bats, Woolly-necked storks and a variety of seabirds from the Seychelles. New research she hopes to undertake will involve tracking the movements and analyzing the post-release success of rehabilitated African Fish-Eagles. Her involvement with Raptor Rescue began in 2010, when she worked for the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary, and Ben Hoffman began her raptor ringing training. She went on to supervise the care of the raptors when Ben was absent, and prompted by Dr Mark Brown from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, initiated the annual report on Raptor Rescue's admittance records and statistics. She did her MSc in Wildlife Management and Conservation through the University of Reading in the UK, studying the nesting density and breeding success of Eurasian Eagle-owls Bubo bubo in southern Spain. In 2014 she received her PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on Flexibility in the Metabolic Rate of Cape White-eyes. Brent Coverdale is an Animal Scientist specializing in mammals and birds. He is also the Chair of the Oribi Working Group and the Leopard Hunting Advisory Forum. He first became involved with Raptor Rescue when he was stationed as the District Conservation Officer for the area. Outside of formal work requirements, he is working towards becoming a qualified bird ringer.