RAFFLING OUR FEATHERS FOR THE DIFFERENCES WE’LL BE MAKING DURING THE YEAR – 2023
We kicked off our very first charity drop of the year on the 4th of March at a very different but very worthy centre in Hartbeespoort at the Vulpro rehabilitation centre for Vultures.
Our guide for the day, Obert Phiri, gave us an excellent, informative tour of the facility. Did you know there are over 700 species of Vultures? We learned the critical role vultures play in the ecosystem. Sadly, we were also informed that most of our vultures are endangered, and some species are on the critically endangered list.
Obert kept our attention with known facts and a joke or two, and we had the opportunity to watch wild vultures “feast” on carcasses and learn the hierarchy between different kinds of birds waiting for their turn to eat. We couldn’t help but realize that we serve an Almighty God and that everything has its place in nature, precisely worked out – what a humbling feeling that we can be part of God’s plan. We are here to make a difference, to spread love, and to acknowledge that we serve a miracle-working God.
VulPro’s mission is to protect African vultures through collaboration and innovation. Vulpro’s work is science-based, with a focus on conservation-relevant research. The centre also has rehabilitation and captive breeding facilities for release back into the wild. Non-releasable vultures that come into VulPro for rehabilitation form part of the ex-situ population and are bred to produce individuals which form part of their pilot release studies. GPS transmitters are placed on all released individuals, and this data then forms part of their research programs.
Vulpro is also active in education efforts – Yes, vultures are not the apathetic and pitiless bearer of bad omens, as often portrayed in films. Vultures form an important ecological component of our natural environment, cleaning up dead carcasses and decreasing the spread of some diseases. Today, vultures face an unprecedented onslaught from human activities. We were blessed to make a difference at Vulpro and will remember the lessons learned.
E=B=L
